South Korea&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry released the newly declassified diplomatic files of 1994 on Friday, and they reveal that major world powers were deeply concerned about North Korean leader Kim Il-sung&rsquo;s succession plan after his sudden death in 1994, as they doubted the capabilities of his heir, Kim Jong-il.
The files reveal that one US diplomat even called Kim Jong-il &ldquo;goofy&rdquo; while a Russian expert predicted that he would lose control of the country within two years, reports South China Morning Post. The documents detail how officials worldwide interpreted Kim Il-sung&rsquo;s demise and assessed his son&rsquo;s ability to govern. Former US vice-president Walter Mondale, who was then serving as ambassador to Japan, was quoted in the files as saying: &ldquo;[Kim Jong-il] seems a bit goofy and childish, and not very good as a leader.&rdquo; The files show that experts from Russia also expressed doubts over the younger Kim&rsquo;s ability to rule North Korea. Notably, Russia was distancing itself from Pyongyang at that time as it navigated post-Communist reforms. &ldquo;After about six months of Kim Jong-il&rsquo;s regime, the military will begin to intervene in politics in earnest,&rdquo; a Russian scholar who had worked in Pyongyang was quoted as saying in the files. &ldquo;At most, Kim Jong-il will only be in power until the end of 1996.&rdquo; The documents reveal that a Chinese official said that Beijing had no choice but to support the younger Kim due to the influence of then leader Deng Xiaoping. Kim Il-sung had personally asked Deng to &ldquo;look after&rdquo; his son, and therefore, Beijing could only respect the request as long as Deng was alive, the official explained.
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-to-start-meeting-candidates-to-replace-internal-intelligence-agency-chief-ronen-bar-8890568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netanyahu to start meeting candidates to replace internal intelligence agency chief Ronen Bar</a> Kim Il-sung&rsquo;s death came weeks ahead of what was supposed to be the first inter-Korea Summit, where leaders of North and South were expected to discuss nuclear issues. Though North Korea officially announced that he died of a heart attack, the files show that some Chinese officials believed the real cause of his death was overwork and stress brought on by nuclear issues and the summit. The meet was eventually cancelled and the first inter-Korea nuclear summit was held in Pyongyang in 2000. Despite all the doubts, Kim Jong-il went on to rule North Korea until his death in 2011, though his period was marked by deep economic hardships, international isolation, and the first nuclear weapons test in 2006. Seoul also released files from 1993, showing how it responded to its designation as a &ldquo;sensitive country&rdquo; by Washington. The designation imposed stricter controls on the transfer of nuclear-related technology, reflecting concerns over Seoul&rsquo;s suspected ambitions to develop its own nuclear weapons. South Korea was listed as a sensitive country by the US in January 1981 and was removed from the list in July 1994, Aju News reported. South Korean officials then worked to persuade the US that grouping Seoul with North Korea was &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; and harmful to future bilateral scientific and technological cooperation.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-strikes-gold-again-discovers-record-1000-tonne-deposit-8900095">China strikes gold again, discovers record 1,000-tonne deposit, reports suggest</a> The US Department of Energy once again designated South Korea as a nuclear sensitive country in January, shortly before former president Joe Biden left office. China, Iran, and North Korea are also on Washington&rsquo;s sensitive countries list.&nbsp; The rationale for South Korea&rsquo;s recent inclusion is suspected to be suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol&rsquo;s brief imposition of martial law in December amid talk of Seoul potentially developing its own nuclear weapons.

World: The documents reveal that a Chinese official said that Beijing had no choice but to support the younger Kim due to the influence of then leader Deng Xiaoping. Kim Il-sung had personally asked Deng to “look after” his son.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry released the newly declassified diplomatic files of 1994 on Friday, and they reveal that major world powers were deeply concerned about North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s succession plan after his sudden death in 1994, as they doubted the capabilities of his heir, Kim Jong-il. The files reveal that one US diplomat even called Kim Jong-il “goofy” while a Russian expert predicted that he would lose control of the country within two years, reports South China Morning Post. The documents detail how officials worldwide interpreted Kim Il-sung’s demise and assessed his son’s ability to govern. Former US vice-president Walter Mondale, who was then serving as ambassador to Japan, was quoted in the files as saying: “[Kim Jong-il] seems a bit goofy and childish, and not very good as a leader.” The files show that experts from Russia also expressed doubts over the younger Kim’s ability to rule North Korea. Notably, Russia was distancing itself from Pyongyang at that time as it navigated post-Communist reforms. “After about six months of Kim Jong-il’s regime, the military will begin to intervene in politics in earnest,” a Russian scholar who had worked in Pyongyang was quoted as saying in the files. “At most, Kim Jong-il will only be in power until the end of 1996.” The documents reveal that a Chinese official said that Beijing had no choice but to support the younger Kim due to the influence of then leader Deng Xiaoping. Kim Il-sung had personally asked Deng to “look after” his son, and therefore, Beijing could only respect the request as long as Deng was alive, the official explained. Also read: Netanyahu to start meeting candidates to replace internal intelligence agency chief Ronen Bar Kim Il-sung’s death came weeks ahead of what was supposed to be the first inter-Korea Summit, where leaders of North and South were expected to discuss nuclear issues. Though North Korea officially announced that he died of a heart attack, the files show that some Chinese officials believed the real cause of his death was overwork and stress brought on by nuclear issues and the summit. The meet was eventually cancelled and the first inter-Korea nuclear summit was held in Pyongyang in 2000. Despite all the doubts, Kim Jong-il went on to rule North Korea until his death in 2011, though his period was marked by deep economic hardships, international isolation, and the first nuclear weapons test in 2006. Seoul also released files from 1993, showing how it responded to its designation as a “sensitive country” by Washington. The designation imposed stricter controls on the transfer of nuclear-related technology, reflecting concerns over Seoul’s suspected ambitions to develop its own nuclear weapons. South Korea was listed as a sensitive country by the US in January 1981 and was removed from the list in July 1994, Aju News reported. South Korean officials then worked to persuade the US that grouping Seoul with North Korea was “unfair” and harmful to future bilateral scientific and technological cooperation. Also read | China strikes gold again, discovers record 1,000-tonne deposit, reports suggest The US Department of Energy once again designated South Korea as a nuclear sensitive country in January, shortly before former president Joe Biden left office. China, Iran, and North Korea are also on Washington’s sensitive countries list. The rationale for South Korea’s recent inclusion is suspected to be suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December amid talk of Seoul potentially developing its own nuclear weapons.

Seoul’s declassified files reveal how world powers doubted North Korea’s Kim Jong-il, US diplomat called him ‘goofy’

The US&nbsp;Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the September&nbsp;11 attacks that discussed potential links between some of the hijackers and Saudi Arabia but said the links were not independently verified.

The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi links to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3000 people died.

They were issued by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after years of wrangling in Washington between Congress and different administrations, Republicans and Democrats, and urging by families of those killed.

The release of the previously classified pages is unlikely to end the controversy over the role of Saudi Arabia, an important US&nbsp;partner in the Middle East. Many US&nbsp;officials who opposed their release had worried they would damage diplomatic relations.

Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

&quot;According to various FBI documents and CIA memorandum, some of the September 11 hijackers, while in the United States, apparently had contacts with individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government,&quot; the report said, giving a catalogue of alleged links.

They included reported contacts between Saudis in California and a statement that a man who was reportedly a Saudi Interior Ministry official stayed at the same Virginia hotel as one hijacker in September 2001.

Another section said that Omar al-Bayoumi, said to be a Saudi intelligence officer, met with two hijackers at a public place after they arrived in San Diego. It said, citing FBI files, that his salary rose to $3700 a month from $465 two months after two of the hijackers arrived in California.

One page described how two of the hijackers asked flight attendants technical questions during a trip in 1999 from Phoenix to Washington to attend a party at the Saudi embassy. One tried twice to enter the cockpit. The plane made an emergency landing and the FBI investigated, but did not prosecute. 
&nbsp;

Controversy will continue

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said its agreement to the release is not an indication that the intelligence community agrees with the pages&#39; accuracy or concurs with the information it contains.

The office also on Friday released a declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks, saying the Saudi government and many of its agencies had been infiltrated and exploited by individuals associated with or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden&#39;s militant network.

Several members of Congress said they were pleased the pages had finally been released. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said he hoped the release would quiet rumours.

&quot;The Intelligence Community and the 9/11 Commission, which followed the Joint Inquiry that produced these so-called 28 pages, investigated the questions they raised and was never able to find sufficient evidence to support them,&quot; he said.

Legislation that would allow families of September&nbsp;11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia has been passed by the US&nbsp;Senate and is making its way through the House, despite President Barack Obama&#39;s threat to veto the measure.

A September&nbsp;11 families group made clear the pages&#39; release would not stop their push for the legislation. &quot;Congress has to stand up for the interests of the thousands of innocent Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11,&quot; the &quot;9/11 Families&quot; organisation said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia&#39;s ambassador to the United States, Abdullah al-Saud, said the country welcomed the release.

&quot;We hope the release of these pages will clear up, once and for all, any lingering questions or suspicions about Saudi Arabia&#39;s actions, intentions, or long-term friendship with the United States,&quot; he said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters before the pages were released that they would show no evidence of Saudi complicity.

The Obama administration sent a declassified version of the 28 pages, with many lines and sentences blacked out to protect intelligence sources and methods, to Congress on Friday morning. The House intelligence panel released it a few hours later.

(Reuters)

A declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks was also released

The US Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the September 11 attacks that discussed potential links between some of the hijackers and Saudi Arabia but said the links were not independently verified. The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi links to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3000 people died. They were issued by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after years of wrangling in Washington between Congress and different administrations, Republicans and Democrats, and urging by families of those killed. The release of the previously classified pages is unlikely to end the controversy over the role of Saudi Arabia, an important US partner in the Middle East. Many US officials who opposed their release had worried they would damage diplomatic relations. Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens. "According to various FBI documents and CIA memorandum, some of the September 11 hijackers, while in the United States, apparently had contacts with individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government," the report said, giving a catalogue of alleged links. They included reported contacts between Saudis in California and a statement that a man who was reportedly a Saudi Interior Ministry official stayed at the same Virginia hotel as one hijacker in September 2001. Another section said that Omar al-Bayoumi, said to be a Saudi intelligence officer, met with two hijackers at a public place after they arrived in San Diego. It said, citing FBI files, that his salary rose to $3700 a month from $465 two months after two of the hijackers arrived in California. One page described how two of the hijackers asked flight attendants technical questions during a trip in 1999 from Phoenix to Washington to attend a party at the Saudi embassy. One tried twice to enter the cockpit. The plane made an emergency landing and the FBI investigated, but did not prosecute. Controversy will continue The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said its agreement to the release is not an indication that the intelligence community agrees with the pages' accuracy or concurs with the information it contains. The office also on Friday released a declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported Al-Qaeda before and after the attacks, saying the Saudi government and many of its agencies had been infiltrated and exploited by individuals associated with or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden's militant network. Several members of Congress said they were pleased the pages had finally been released. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said he hoped the release would quiet rumours. "The Intelligence Community and the 9/11 Commission, which followed the Joint Inquiry that produced these so-called 28 pages, investigated the questions they raised and was never able to find sufficient evidence to support them," he said. Legislation that would allow families of September 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia has been passed by the US Senate and is making its way through the House, despite President Barack Obama's threat to veto the measure. A September 11 families group made clear the pages' release would not stop their push for the legislation. "Congress has to stand up for the interests of the thousands of innocent Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11," the "9/11 Families" organisation said in a statement. Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Abdullah al-Saud, said the country welcomed the release. "We hope the release of these pages will clear up, once and for all, any lingering questions or suspicions about Saudi Arabia's actions, intentions, or long-term friendship with the United States," he said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters before the pages were released that they would show no evidence of Saudi complicity. The Obama administration sent a declassified version of the 28 pages, with many lines and sentences blacked out to protect intelligence sources and methods, to Congress on Friday morning. The House intelligence panel released it a few hours later. (Reuters)

Pages of US 9/11 report detailing possible Saudi ties made public

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