Hundreds of thousands, perhaps more than 1 million North Koreans have died of hunger in recent years amid a nationwide agricultural collapse. A massive outpouring of international food aid has kept the numbers from climbing much higher. Foreign visitors come back with tales of doctors carrying out operations without anesthetics, of hospitals washing and reusing cotton swabs. Across the border in Seoul, where cars clog the streets and cell phones are ubiquitous, the 21st century is well under way. And then there's the problem of the missiles.
Some intelligence reports suggest Pyongyang is still trying secretly to build nuclear weapons.
It is far from clear whether the new, improved Chairman Kim will move to ease the world's concerns. President Kim says he raised the security issue with the North but has given no indication of what was said. The first clue may come when the U.S. and North Korea sit down for missile talks scheduled for later this month. But Pyongyang won't readily give its bargaining chips away. It will not be a straight line.