This image shows a copy of South Korea’s diplomatic dossiers from 1994 detailing actions taken by the North Korean Embassy in Mexico following the death of its founder, Kim Il-sung, as released by Seoul’s foreign ministry on March 27, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Countries worldwide scrambled to understand the sudden death of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, in 1994, with the United States and Russia questioning the isolated state’s future under his son and successor, Kim Jong-il, declassified diplomatic dossiers showed Friday.
Kim Il-sung, the founder and first leader of North Korea, died of a heart attack on July 8, 1994, at the age of 82. His unexpected death sent shock waves across the world, including South Korea, as the announcement came just 17 days before what would have been the first inter-Korean summit.
The declassified dossiers of 1994, released by Seoul’s foreign ministry, revealed U.S. officials expressing skepticism about the younger Kim’s leadership, with concerns that his lack of charisma and legitimacy, coupled with the North’s economic struggles, would destabilize his rule.
Stanley Roth, then a senior official on the U.S. National Security Council, told Ban Ki-moon, a minister at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, that even if Kim successfully assumed power, his hard-line stance on nuclear issues could prevent Pyongyang from returning to the negotiating table, warning that North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale bluntly described Kim as “goofy” and “childish,” deeming him unfit to lead the regime, according to the dossiers.
South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Han Seung-soo noted differing assessments of Kim within Washington, with the State Department expecting Kim to continue his father’s policies, while the Central Intelligence Agency viewed him as unpredictable and likely to take extreme measures.
Russian officials, given Moscow’s position at the time of distancing itself from the North amid their own reforms, gave a pessimistic outlook on Kim’s leadership, the dossiers showed.
A Russian expert with experience in Pyongyang predicted that the North Korean military would begin intervening in politics, suggesting that Kim might not last beyond late 1996.
Diplomatic circles also paid close attention to Kim’s health. A South Korean diplomat based in Cairo reported that Egyptian officials questioned his ability to govern, telling the diplomat that they found Kim had a “long surgical scar on the right side of his head.”
On the other hand, China swiftly backed Kim, apparently due to then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s influence, the dossiers showed.
A Chinese foreign ministry official explained to Seoul that Kim Il-sung had personally asked Deng to “look after his son,” and as long as Deng was in power, Beijing had no choice but to honor that request.
The dossiers also revealed confusion and disarray among North Korean embassies abroad, as they had been unaware of Kim’s unexpected death.
The North Korean Embassy in Mexico hurriedly asked Mexico’s foreign ministry to help it distribute an official notice on Kim’s passing to foreign diplomatic missions there, because the embassy was “short-staffed and didn’t have photocopiers.”
(Yonhap)
