North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has criticized close allies China and Russia as unreliable, a news report said, as South Korea mapped out countermeasures in preparation for a possible nuclear test by Pyongyang. Kim’s scepticism toward China and Russia was conveyed at a meeting in Pyongyang last month shortly after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the North’s test-firing of seven missiles, Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported on Saturday. The officials quoted Kim as saying that North Korea should “try to resolve all challenges by ourselves,” according to Kyodo. Kim told the ambassadors to help “implement” an order to strengthen its so-called deterrent power, indicating it could test-fire more missiles and continue nuclear development, Kyodo reported from New York. There are growing concerns, bolstered by reports of suspicious activity, that Pyongyang may be planning to follow up its recent missile launches with a nuclear test.
In Seoul, meanwhile, a senior official at the Unification Ministry said on Sunday that 272 manuals are in place to cope with a crisis erupting on the Korean Peninsula, including a potential nuclear test by the North. He declined to give further details, citing the sensitive nature of the issue. “It is natural to put in place countermeasures,” the official said on condition of anonymity.