No solution in sight

China and the US have no interest in intervening in the conflict between North and South Korea, making  a viable solution all the more unlikely, writes the moderate conservative daily Die Presse: "Kim Jong-il's good fortune is that there is no simple solution to the problems he poses. The military option is a non-starter: North Korea would flatten Seoul - which lies just a few kilometres south of the border - at the first sign of an attack. Moreover in such an event China and the US could find themselves in direct conflict, as was already the case during the Korean War (1950-1953), something all sides are keen to avoid. A well-aimed bullet with the dictator's name on it also constitutes a major risk, because there's no telling how unpredictable things would be after that. Sanctions? They haven't been particularly effective so far. China could certainly have the strongest hand in finding a solution, but it fails to see what it would gain from a change of regime."

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