Seoul (AsiaNews/JA) – The only way to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis is "to depose Kim Jong-il and his regime", an opportunity that could be grasped "only with the help of China, the true patron and defender of North Korea." This hypothesis was recently upheld by Hwang Jang-yop, the most high-ranking political refugee ever to flee Pyongyang.

Hwang was speaking during a parliamentary forum in Seoul at the invitation of the Grand National Party that asked "his sincere opinion" about the best way to overcome the crisis sparked by the nuclear test conducted on 9 October by the Stalinist regime.

The refugee, ex-mentor of Kim Jong-il and three times leader of North Korea's national assembly, said: "Using military and economic sanctions can produce some effects, but it is impossible to completely resolve the situation through such means." For Hwang, "only China commands the fate of the Dear Leader: we should find a way to remove the North Korean regime through China."

Persuading the Chinese government would be possible "only if Seoul and Washington accepted not to install a real democracy in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The Chinese fear that an example of freedom close to its territory could threaten its own system. Guaranteed a semi-dictatorship, they may agree with the deposition of Kim."

In conclusion, Hwang told MPs once again what his view on the South Korean government's "sunshine policy" was: "It is nothing less than a policy of cooperating with the regime to the detriment of the people, the only ones who really suffer."

The dissident's public address, in the Korean parliament of all places, created a commotion: To avoid vexing Pyongyang, Seoul has often "censored" the public statements of Hwang, who was even secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea.