By Choi Sung-jin



Chinese media outlets recently criticized North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in unusually strong tones, warning that Kim would destroy himself under China's sanctions if he continued his provocative maneuvering.



Particularly, these critical articles were major items on Baidu, China's biggest portal site, prompting analysts to speculate that the Chinese government was sending strong warnings to North Korea before the United Nations slapped North Korea with additional sanctions.



According to North Korea watchers in Beijing, articles criticizing Kim published on Chinese media outlets specializing in military affairs appeared on the news page of Baidu's mobile phone service on Sunday and remained there for some time.



"It is hard to find stories that openly criticize Kim in the Chinese media, and if there are some, they are erased right away in most cases," an observer said. "So we find it quite unusual to see articles on Baidu that enumerate Kim Jong-un's mistakes and even mention political upheaval there, as major news items."



Given the Chinese government basically censures major articles, it was possible to interpret the latest appearance of openly critical stories of Kim as Beijing's strong warnings against North Korea in the run-up to additional sanctions,he said.



In an article headlined "Why Kim Jong-un is not afraid of China's sanctions?" the Chinese military journal, "Military Fuke," said North Korea was surrounded by enemies on all four sides and that Kim was stubborn and heroic.



"Some may praise Kim's behavior, but national leaders who do not care about their people's survival can't help but face abandonment by the people," the journal said. "As the leader of a dictatorial country, Kim is demanding that his people endure hardship but is enjoying an extravagant life himself. Such disparity between words and deeds is a big mistake on the part of Kim."



Kim's conceited behavior would only speed up his own destruction, the journal said, adding that the young North Korean leader was desperate to save "face" by threatening to bomb South Korea's presidential office, attack the United States and sever diplomatic ties with China.



"The North Korean public is now slowly awakening to reality, however, as seen by the graffiti under the statue of Kim Il-sung, which says ‘Kim Jong-un is a bastard,'" it said. "Currently, the myth of Kim Jong-un is being gradually broken, which means the Kim's regime has begun to falter. The more the North Korean public knows about Kim's true character, the more they are likely to abandon the Kim dynasty."



The media outlet predicted that a cataclysmic change would hit North Korea before long because the Kim regime had deceived its people. "The Chinese government has expressed dissatisfaction with North Korea several times, but the latter has acted at its pleasure, inviting various sanctions by the Chinese government," it said.



Particularly, the journal hinted strongly that the additional sanctions could shake the Kim Jong-un regime from its foundation. "Any further arbitrary acts by North Korea will lead to the severing of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which in turn means the stoppage of all materials and necessities, causing grave situations in North Korea," it said.



If China stops supplying food and other commodities, North Korea would fall into a worse situation and the North Korean people's anger would be directed at Kim Jong-un because he was responsible, it said.



