Updated after the death of the “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il.
As the world speculates over what makes “Brilliant Comrade” Kim Jong-Un tick, I figure it may be worthwhile to give this 1994 cable a re-read and remember that the next leader of North Korea won’t necessarily be better than the last.
It’s the 9 July 1994 cable announcing the death of North Korea’s “Great Leader,” Kim Il-Sung. This State Department cable reported to embassies that it had learned of Kim Il-Sung’s death through North Korean media reports (not intelligence sources), and implied that other countries may have better intelligence on the situation than the US. It instructed embassies abroad to use their foreign contacts because they “have representation in Pyongyang and are well positioned to provide information on developments.”
