The Two Koreas_ A Contemporary History - Don Oberdorfer [192]
The death of the founding leader of the DPRK came at a time when the outside world was intruding increasingly on the unique dominion Kim had created in his unequaled reign of nearly half a century. In Kim's final months, he was seeking to adjust to the rapid decline of long-standing diplomatic, military, and economic arrangements and to explore new relationships with the United States, South Korea, and the world of his former enemies. Whether he was a leader of great vision or of great folly, he was without question the dominating figure on the stage that he trod. His sudden death, in retrospect, was among the most important events in the peninsula in the decades covered by this book. The absence of his controlling hand immensely complicated the problems of North Korea in the second half of the 1990s.
As with other powerful authoritarian leaders, Kim's health had long been a state secret and a matter of intense interest to the outside world. From at least the early 1970s, a large lumpy external tumor had been visible on the back of his neck, but doctors determined it to be benign. German doctors informed Kim it could be removed surgically in two hours; however, since they also said it was not dangerous, he told them to leave it alone. South Korean and U.S. intelligence reports stating that Kim had heart trouble were confirmed by North Korea's official post-mortem medical bulletin, which said he had received treatment for arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The official medical bulletin also said his fatal heart attack had been brought on by "heavy mental strains," a remark that has never been explained.
Personal impressions of Kim's health in his later years varied greatly, which may have reflected good days and bad days as well as the artifice of aides in presenting him in the best possible light. A CNN cameraman who photographed Kim during a birthday meeting with visitors two months before his death noticed tiny lights near the ceiling, which were turned on as Kim rose to speak, giving him an impressive rosy aura whose source was imperceptible to the casual onlooker.
A South Korean official who was among Kim's luncheon guests in February 1992, shortly before his eightieth birthday, found him hardly as fit as had been reported. The official said Kim dribbled food on his clothing, made a half-dozen incomprehensible statements, and left his eyeglasses on the table when he left the room at the end of the meal. Kim told the visitors on that occasion that due to doctors' orders, he could not smoke or drink very much. On the other hand, Korea expert William Taylor of the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies reported after luncheon with Kim just four months later, in June 1992, that "he walks and moves vigorously for age 80. His handshake is firm. When I left, he shook hands and pulled me toward him; his arm muscles are in good tone. His eyes are clear and his eye contact firm and compelling. Most important ... his mind is quick and crystal clear."
Whatever Kim's private thoughts on his health and mortality, he was always upbeat. South Korean intelligence, which monitors satellite-based telephone transmissions from North Korea, overheard Kim in 1989 boasting to a daughter who was living in an Eastern European country, "I'm good for another ten years." Half a decade later, just weeks before he died, Kim told Jimmy Carter that he planned to remain active "for the next ten years."
Kim Il Sung's death was kept secret for thirty-four hours, evidently to make sure arrangements were in place for the first succession in the country's history. On the morning of July 9, government