It isn't a big fan of democracy. But North Korea looks likely to welcome a Yes vote in Scotland's indyref.

A mouthpiece for the Pyongyang regime has come out in support of independence in a clear hint of the rogue state's thinking on the issue.

The editor of Tokyo-based based Choson Sinbo - which is staunchly loyal to the government of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un - said he thought a Yes would be "very positive".

Choe Kwan-il, the paper's managing editor, admitted that he hadn't reported on Scotland yet. But he told the Daily Telegraph: "I think that independence would be a very positive thing for Scotland,

"I believe that every person has the right to be a member of an independent nation, to have sovereignty, to live in peace and to enjoy equality.

"And I believe that a majority of Scots feel the same and will vote for independence."

Mr Choe added: "I believe independence will be positive as it will encourage personal exchanges and provide both countries with business chances. North Korea is rich in natural resources and we like the taste of Scotch whisky, so we can be beneficial to each other."

North Korea often lets the world know its views on things through Choson Sinbo, which is aimed at the 200,000 North Koreans living in Japan.

Residents of North Korea, whose media are tightly controlled and who have no access to the worldwide web, are almost certainly completely unaware of the Scottish vote.

The deeply secretive state, like other members of the rogue nations once dubbed the "Axis of Evil" by US President George W Bush, will almost certainly see the Scottish question purely from the point of view of something that embarrasses or diminishes the British state.

So Chung-on, director of the International Affairs Bureau of the General Association of Korean Residents of Japan, said he thought that only a Yes vote would be reported in his country.

"The result will be very important and if the Scots do vote to become independent, then North Korea will be prepared to respond to that," he said.

He said he didn't expect to see Swiss-educated Kim Jong-un open an embassy in Edinburgh. North Korea is starved of foreign exchange and can barely afford to maintain any international representation. The Scottish Government would be relaxed about the state's position - such is its limited influence internationally.

North Korea has officially said nothing about independence. Several world leaders have cautioned against a Yes vote, including American president Barack Obama and the leaders of Australia and Canada. Iceland is a rare example of a country to sound supportive.

As the Sunday Herald revealed earlier this year, the UK has been calling in diplomatic favours to encourage other countries to speak out against independence.

However, First Minister Alex Salmond today claimed support for Scottish independence from the majority of world leaders who have not spoken out in favour of keeping the UK together.

Addressing an audience of international journalists in Edinburgh, the SNP leader said he was entitled to conclude that those who have not responded to "overtures from a desperate administration in Downing Street" to back a No vote do not therefore share its views.

Responding to a question from an Australian journalist, Mr Salmond said: "I think we've got very substantial support on the international stage.

"Given the UK Government asked every world leader to make a statement of support for their position, and given that only a handful have obliged and done so, I think we have to conclude that other world leaders said 'nein' or 'no', or whatever language they were speaking in, to that request from the Foreign Office."

His use of the German 'nein' may be highly significant given the failure of the hugely influential German leader Angela Merkel to say anything negative about independence suggesting the federal republic may not be as hostile as America or other British allies.

Mr Salmond continued: "So I think in these particular circumstances we are entitled to count up all of the world leaders in the great democracies of Europe and elsewhere who obviously declined the Foreign Office Prime Ministerial invitation to say something, and conclude that they therefore did not share that opinion.

"Just as we should look at the almost 3,000 businesses in Business For Scotland who have declined the invitation from Downing Street to speak out against independence, and conclude that they also have rejected the overtures from a desperate administration in Downing Street."

He said he has received several hundred letters from Scots-Australians disassociating themselves from the views of Australian PM Tony Abbott, and suggested it could backfire for him at the ballot box.