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North Korean Leader Expresses Regret

North Korea`s reclusive dictator Kim Jong-il has reportedly expressed regret for angering his ally China with October 9`s test of a nuclear device in the northern portion of the country. Beijing termed the test "brazen" and breaking a long-standing precedent authorized the passage by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 1718, which established sanctions on Pyongyang. The People`s Republic had warned off the test in October, but Kim blew off the Chinese in a way that echoed his conduct earlier in the year.

North Korea test-fired several short-range missiles and one long-range missile in July against the expressed wishes of China. That event was only the latest blow to relations between the two countries, traditionally seen as allies of convenience if not ideology. China aided North Korea toward the end of the Korean War in the early 1950s, and provides Pyongyang with the vast majority of economic and material aid. However, events along the border last year - the shooting of Chinese soldiers by North Koreans, and the shooting of North Korean soldiers by China - soured ties.

At first it appeared that China would waver in its support of the sanctions regime authorized by resolution 1718, but Washington believes the pressure it brought to bear on Beijing helped the Chinese decide to enforce the measure as best they could. The seriousness with which China has begun enforcing the sanctions, coupled with the harsh, direct language of criticism that Pyongyang has generally been able to escape, might have scared Kim Jong-il enough to worry that if the Americans won`t bring down his government, the Chinese might.