"Kim Il Sung likely suffered fatal heart failure due to stress and overwork stemming from nuclear tensions and a planned inter-Korean summit," a Chinese foreign ministry official told South Korean diplomat Kim Ha-joong on July 10, 1994—two days after the North Korean leader's death.
According to the official, Chinese medical experts visited North Korea two to three times in 1993 to treat Kim’s heart condition. He added that North Korea’s explanation of heart disease as the cause of death was likely accurate.
Previously undisclosed diplomatic records, declassified on March 28 by South Korea’s foreign ministry, shed new light on the circumstances surrounding Kim’s death, just weeks before the first-ever summit between the two Koreas was scheduled to take place in late July 1994.
The documents reveal that North Korean Foreign Minister Kim Yong Nam informed China before the death announcement that Kim Jong Il would fully inherit his father’s policies. A Chinese foreign ministry source also noted that Kim Il Sung had “entrusted” Deng Xiaoping with his son during one of his visits to China, using the term “takgo,” which implies entrusting an orphan to someone’s care. The records further disclose that then-U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale described Kim Jong Il as “goofy and childish,” questioning his leadership competence.
In the lead-up to the Geneva Agreed Framework between North Korea and the United States in October 1994, South Korean President Kim Young-sam reportedly expressed frustration to U.S. President Bill Clinton about being sidelined in nuclear negotiations. Prepared talking points for Kim included the statement, “Some of our people feel humiliated that the North Korean nuclear issue is being discussed without direct involvement from the most concerned party, South Korea.”
Also revealed were internal U.S. Energy Department regulations that designated South Korea, North Korea, and 48 other countries as “sensitive nations” between 1981 and 1994. South Korea received this designation due to national security concerns, nuclear non-proliferation issues, regional instability, and alleged support for terrorism. As a result, South Korean researchers faced restrictions, including intelligence screenings when visiting sensitive U.S. nuclear and weapons-related facilities.
고도예 yea@donga.com