Rise to Power of Kim Jong-Il in North Korea in the 70s of 20th Century in the Light of the Czechoslovak Archives
2012
Abstract
This paper tries to catch the rise to power of Kim Jong Il in 1970s. That period was crucial for building his position among the North Korean nomenklatura.
In the 1970s he made several very important steps that helped him later not only to take over the leadership of DPRK but also to maintain his power until his death in December 2011. The Czechoslovak archives help to understand this proces better.
The employes of the Czechoslovak embassy followed the situation in DPRK very thoroughly. Their observations were very useful for this analysis.
The 1970s development can be used as a comparsion for the latest succession of Kim Jong Un.