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‘Goofy’: declassified 1994 files show how world powers doubted North Korea’s Kim Jong-il
Newly released files show experts from the US and Russia were sceptical he could hold onto power in the wake of his father’s sudden death
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Newly declassified diplomatic files from Seoul have revealed that major world powers were deeply concerned about North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s succession plan after his sudden death in 1994, with one US diplomat calling his heir Kim Jong-il “goofy” and a Russian expert predicting he would lose control of the country within two years.
The documents, released by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, detail how officials worldwide rushed to interpret Kim Il-sung’s demise and assess his son’s ability to govern.
Walter Mondale, a former US vice-president who was serving as ambassador to Japan at the time, was quoted in the files as saying: “[Kim Jong-il] seems a bit goofy and childish, and not very good as a leader.”
The files show that experts from Russia, which was distancing itself from Pyongyang at the time as it navigated post-Communist reforms, also expressed doubts over the younger Kim’s ability to rule North Korea.
“After about six months of Kim Jong-il’s regime, the military will begin to intervene in politics in earnest,” a Russian scholar with experience of working in Pyongyang was quoted as saying.
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