Word: pyongyang
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Ordinarily, the arrival in Pyongyang of Mongolian President Jambyn Batmonh would scarcely register a blip on the radar screens of international diplomacy. But when Batmonh stepped off his jetliner in North Korea's capital last week, television footage of the welcoming ceremony was almost immediately flashed to eagerly awaiting networks and wire services around the world. Reason: the Premier was greeted by a man whose sudden and violent death had been widely rumored and, in some cases, reported as confirmed fact for two days. Yet there he was, Kim Il Sung, the "Great Leader," still paunchy and apparently hale...
...Pyongyang's glee at its neighbor's discomfort suggested that North Korea would have had no qualms about mounting a malicious disinformation campaign, although probably not one centering on rumors of its leader's death. Kim has spent nearly four decades creating a cult around his personality and accomplishments that is Pharaonic in its intensity. He has erected larger- than-life statues of himself in virtually every North Korean city, and inspired a school curriculum based on adulation of his teachings. Korea watchers in the U.S. doubt that he would trifle with his self-created legend merely to score...
That leaves a single plausible theory of what happened, in the opinion of U.S. observers: the possibility that a real power struggle was going on in Pyongyang. U.S. officials have picked up rumors in recent months of internal discord centered on the question of Kim's succession. In particular, Defense Minister O has been conspicuous lately by his lack of public appearances. Some observers have wondered if the 76-year-old defense minister was having trouble adjusting to the increased day-to-day powers of First Son Jong Il, 45, and the younger cadres around him. Says the Heritage Foundation...
There were other issues that could also have led to a showdown in North Korea. Over the past two years Kim has engineered a pronounced tilt in Pyongyang's Sino-Soviet policies toward Moscow. Just two months ago the North Korean President made a hastily arranged visit to the Soviet capital, his second in 29 months, for talks with Mikhail Gorbachev. The Soviets provide North Korea with MiG-23 fighter aircraft and Scud surface-to-surface missiles. In return, they have acquired calling rights at the North Korean ports of Nampo and Najin and clearance for military reconnaissance flights from...
...debt of some $2 billion. The country achieved only about half of the growth called for in its last long-term economic plan (1978-84), and has yet to produce a new one. Both of the last two grain harvests have been substandard, and the daily grain ration in Pyongyang was recently reduced by 14%. Although the exact cause of last week's events remains murky, the forced cutback in such a staple certainly carried the potential for creating trouble...