North Korea's Military Intentions vis-à-vis South Korea in the Mid-1970s and Kim Il Sung's Compromise with Yugoslavia

On 4 July 1972, as détente dawned on the Korean peninsula, Kim Il Sung, the leader of the Communist-ruled Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea), put forth a “North-South Joint Statement” calling for “peaceful unification.”1 The statement demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea and the dissolution of the United Nations Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea (UNCURK) to push Kim’s resolution on the “Korean question” at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.2 However, as Vietnamese Communist forces gained the upper hand in the final phase of the war against the United States and South Vietnam, North Korea shifted back toward military options. After the fall of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, Kim Il Sung was convinced that the fall of Saigon was imminent and that the North Vietnamese forces would be victorious. He visited Beijing and made a provocative statement that hinted at his intention to achieve reunification through force.3Some observers have claimed that Kim Il Sung abandoned his plan to invade the South during his visit to China and agreed to peaceful unification in the Joint Communiqué issued by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the DPRK.4 However, during Kim Il Sung's visit to Eastern Europe and Africa in May-June 1975, which took place amid rising tensions, the North Korean leader sought political, economic, and military support from the countries he visited.To resolve these conflicting statements, this article analyzes Kim Il Sung's words and actions during his visit to China, Eastern Europe, and north Africa from May to June 1975. The article provides a detailed analysis of North Korean perceptions, the DPRK's relations with South Korea, and the reactions of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The article then focuses on Kim Il Sung's visits across Eastern Europe and north Africa as evidence of his intent to resume the war he started in June 1950. He continued to plan for new military aggression after he visited the PRC and throughout his tour of Eastern Europe and north Africa, but then eventually discussed his plans with the leader of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, on the last leg of his trip. The visit with Tito ultimately convinced Kim to try again for a peaceful resolution so he could have a realistic chance of joining the NAM.Kim Il Sung's military posturing in 1975 has been the subject of controversy. For decades, scholars could only speculate about the issue because the Chinese government of the on April 1975 and Kim Il However, with the of in the analysis have the in have on from China Chinese and South Korean Kim that Kim Il Sung to invade South Korea on the evidence from However, a Chinese the of the of and Kim Il Sung, that by and Kim only evidence of to North Korean military a South Korean on North Korea the that the only for Kim Il Sung's visit to China was to the the and a by the to and that Kim Il Sung visited Beijing in April 1975 in for that Kim ultimately against military because of a of that on the Korean that Kim Il Sung to to the on the Korean as and of the Korean and “peaceful unification Eastern Kim Il Sung's a Communist and North Korea after the PRC plan to invade South to in Kim Il Sung's have this has been has on Kim Il Sung's military after he visited visits to China with in analysis North Korea as a in which Kim Il Sung made of from to countries in during the The article on in the and The of Kim Il Sung from North the People's for Chinese and for U.S. and South Korean and from the Vietnam, and and of from countries evidence to be and a Il Sung that that the only he could that the General would his resolution on Korean question” was by support from which of the The was to be a at the and of the of the in of to the However, countries that relations with South Korea, as and to North this Kim Il Sung to support from Josip Broz Tito of the of the a to Tito in 1975, Kim his the that South Korea, with the support of would support the DPRK's in the of the in Kim Tito to and to support North Korea, and he sought for the that was to be in 1975 in the the South Korea, which was about the of the at the sought to the to the of North Korea on the General and to the of a Korean in the Kim Il Sung's from 4 to and to 1975, a South Korean was and the DPRK's in the was by a from Yugoslavia, and during the on The the support for the peaceful unification of the Korean for the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the from South and to of North Korea and South Korea in the The of the in the was South Korea in the the was a the of the on a on June 1975 with North Korean that the of the Communist his toward North Korea during the at the in 1975 to support North that from the a in of relations and North Korea to in 1975, the of the to a at the in North Korea, the of Kim Il Sung's his intention to North in the that North Korea in with China in the and the about the and that North Korea to the be because from in by to the North Korean in on back to the with the North for about the DPRK's to the from the in in 1975. The North Korean that joining the was in the DPRK's but that North the would be because of the relations with China and the during the by the of with the from the the to be of China and from the in by the that to North Korea in to of the to a from the to the of North Korean from in to in 1975. Korean in 1975 was at which was the of the in with North Korea, the DPRK's the of China, North Korean from the in 1975 at to only from the the to North on the issue of to a from the of China at the was the in the in political, and to in June 1975 that the on North Korea by the of to North Korea in to in the The of to North Korea at a of North Korea to from the and to on this with and sought to Chinese on North Korea by claimed that China was the of North Korea from Communist countries to the Chinese of the took to North Korea, the these the by the that a South Korean that the South Korea for a of relations on the of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea, a that North of the to China and in of in U.S. in South Korea have the North Korean to the statement by the North Korean of on 1975 calling for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from South Korea, Kim the of the North Korean of to of the on 17 1975, that North Korea for peaceful reunification and that only the could resolve the issue of the withdrawal of U.S. this Kim of China, that he in a with the United States to North in this a on the in the the gained of Phnom Penh with Chinese military and the government which been by the United Vietnam, the war was in final and the United States a for military from the of South from to 1975, the for the Communist of After the fall of and in 1975, North was but on the the Vietnamese the Saigon in for the final phase of military the North Korean as North the Vietnamese in North Korea about with for the of the to North Korea, that the of the in a the of China and North Korea the for the Korean peninsula, which could have to the by North Korea of a new in to the Korean On 17 April 1975, the Phnom Penh Kim Il Sung a visit to his at the he that a in South Korea, North Korea support with the that only the and the unification of the was as of North intention to invade South of the Beijing have been so has been to the of Kim Il Sung's military However, to the of the by Kim Il Sung and discussed plan of visit at the of was issue for North in the Kim that he was to visit and in May 1975 and was to back from Kim that was to visit was the to the issue of in the to the leader to a in in and to that Kim would be to to the and support for by and Kim with and from that was intention to invade South Korea, the evidence that Kim discussed and military with Eastern to be of North of military from that Kim to to support and military and to the unification of the Korean through military The that Kim was to China that the in the of the would to in and unification of the Korean China for the for Kim Il Sung's the in this China North Korea with and these military the on from the and from the to that China North Korea to be about military against South Kim Il Sung support and China in North Korea from the of the and of South Korea, which would have a from the final of the Vietnamese Kim Il Sung, China to a in place of the to Kim in a with leader the North Korean leader to in the Korean against the as and Kim Il Sung's military scholars have that the of the on peaceful in the could be as evidence that North Korea on reunification by military the to in his July 1975 that on continued for peaceful reunification in that North Korea was to invade South to a from the in Chinese in a with in June that would support on the of North Korea to achieve unification of the by the China of North of military was that North Korea to in the of the China the in the Korean to be at the in that China of the of military North Korea to because was of China and the United the the of the “peaceful in the Korean to on the Korean China a for a of South Korea, this that Kim abandoned his military After the from the Chinese in to the North Vietnamese that Kim Il Sung made of peaceful reunification in the to China, that the was to and the made by North Korea and and that was that military and this was the North Korea to unification in the of the of the North Korea would that would the unification On this the to the that Kim Il Sung support in the unification the of the Communist in South that Kim Il Sung have the Chinese about the in South Korea for a from the North to that North Korea discussed the of the unification of with a from the North Vietnamese in Beijing that his government discussed with North Korea the of to the The North Vietnamese that only the of could the unification of Korea, but the in the Korean was in the was that of and the North have in the to the in South the in that North Korea to and a military in South Korea, the of and that the of the unification of the unification of the Korean by military the to Kim from as North and to invade South However, North Korea from to the of in the the United which on the Korean peninsula, a and to military from the in in the of 1975 to South The of war to a after Kim Il Sung's provocative in Beijing the fall of Phnom to South Korean that of South Korea by North Korea North The war of words the North and South after the by U.S. of on May after the fall of Saigon as the in South Korea would be and that the U.S. military would be in May 1975 that South Korea to be by North Korea, the United States would against North Korea at the and that would be to the of the North Korean for U.S. forces to from South Korea, the by the United North Korean in by the in was to by North the to a to in the Korean However, to a by the of the in to the in with the of the North Korean for on May 1975. and the United States have from that was to with a that the Korean could be only through the withdrawal of U.S. from the Korean and to the on be from the that the United States to support North Korea be in The of from a of the in at the of 1975 on April the Korea was North in a that Kim Il Sung to on a The North that the United States been in the in in and Vietnam, and that the Korean People's was to and to U.S. of to that war would that on at a for a his the North Korean has because of the in the The South Korean to be to North Korean that North Korea would military in Kim the at the North Korean in in May 1975 that Korea be and that only to South Korea through a military of the North Korean to that the unification of Korea was a issue that would and in North Korea and that military against the South would be He that North Korea was actions in to Korea, which would be after with Communist Kim Il Sung abandoned his of unification through military a the Communist countries was to was in the of a that Kim Il Sung on his Eastern Africa in a from Il Sung's on the of the visit of the in by the that United States as have the the Korean Il Sung's to Eastern Europe and North Africa The was to support and on as as and military but could on he He the of countries to a in North Korean The leader been was to as a with the United and of in the in the and Kim was to have North in the he that his visit and support for a in would support from the of which to Kim to with visits to the and Eastern Europe been the of to Kim to visit the after China to of a the and However, as was that the would Kim after the and the of his visit to plan for the visits in and in to and Kim ultimately visit of these conflicting and North The that the was that the visit was because of in during the North Korea a Korean military to to in a in 1975, he these Kim to and a military with the South of that he would in a reunification He to peaceful but he with Tito he to from military to Kim Il Sung of in the that he as his North Korea and in Communist but actions by visit by to North Korea in a the The North Korean to on 1975 and that Kim from the to visit after May and that Kim to his in to visit because of the of in the Korean He that the of the Korean after from China that North Korean been to during the could with provocative from South for on a in China, the Chinese a for the been in Kim to the The North Korean in the on the in Kim Il Sung the issue with was to in the as Kim that North Korea was with the and gained support from and Tito in this Kim that he of support from and which to North the Kim that the of relations with South of which would in of North to the of the Kim he the the of North the that the support he could from the and China the of North relations with the Communist a North Korea was at a that was a in with military to in this Kim sought with North military the by the United States and South Korea, Kim that the of be from as the made in the United the with North Korea on the of the “peaceful as the to resolve the Korean as in the with Kim Il Sung's was Kim from the to to the United States and “peaceful South Korean as a to about the of The that Kim Il Sung's was military in the of and by and Kim Il Sung after the The of in which that and and the and of the that Kim from military Kim Il Sung's and to with the United as the leader to his the United States to to and as a was visit the only of the but of that visit from the and the of the of gained the of from Yugoslavia, and a in the of the and to a in the of Korean for his to have been After been the North Korea to as at the in in the to the the have about the resolution of Korean a in on May 1975 from the North Korean to that during a with that Korean question” at the and would would support North unification in the and at the in Kim Il Sung of the as of the Korean and the and peaceful Kim was that with the support of Communist countries and the North Korea could achieve after the withdrawal of U.S. a on Kim that Korean question” was in the DPRK's at the after the the last Korean was against the and of the of North Korea by the of the but have these at the was in the DPRK's but in a with was of Kim Il Sung's of The leader was that U.S. of the in would from the Korean in the Korean support for of the North Korean for peaceful the of support for the of the Kim and have been but after Kim his which be from he made in with U.S. would a new war in Korea, in this war the and unification of the Kim made in that the to South Korea and the to the a in at from his in he that in to invade the he continued to this have been that the United States took in May and June 1975 that Kim as a U.S. and the at the that U.S. North Korean U.S. the of the of the and U.S. North on this Kim to reunification and was after his with Communist and Kim would have been that with the leader North Korea to military The on in that on military place the and and that the of People's and of the General of the Korean People's visited in during visit to that for for and in after to North Il Sung's continued after his in The that the of visit to was to the visits made by to North Korea in and the on for from in of North Korea during on the Korean the the to the the withdrawal of U.S. from South Korea made a statement at the General in the of which demanded be by the of Kim to and his on the of Kim sought to support for the Korean from and with Kim United States a of that invade South in a military and to a Kim that North Korea was about to a but he of He that the United States a to with Kim the a the and would the unification of in the of his in Beijing and he military visit to a was as a of that the and countries would with North the of Kim Il Sung's to a in the Communist that the visit would by about been from the because of the However, the North and the place The in North Korean by that a of Kim and a of his in the Korean The demanded that in be with of and North The was ultimately in the to a on the Korean peninsula, the North and South place the of the after However, at the with on Kim that to the United States and South Korea a intention of a Kim that of war by the United States and South Korea to and that the was to from Korean question” after the in the of the United in with Kim discussed the issue of by of military and through peaceful that the abandoned for peaceful Kim then the for peaceful the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from South the of by the and a in South to the Kim that North Korea the forces in South Korea to he that that the would be to against the North Korean forces and and and to from Kim that the of his by Vietnam, made in the of about to in South Korea that North Korea could to the of by to that Kim “peaceful only after he that the military would be to at that the the of military joining a war of the of a in the the of this North Korea would the forces of South Korea the of “peaceful and a war to could the for North Korea to reunification and a government with the support of China and the on Kim in the of a to the of U.S. in so that the Chinese could and to Communist in support of Communist the and he he as and Kim to about the China for the Korean to that Chinese for North on the withdrawal of U.S. from South Korea and the peaceful reunification of the North and during the that he the the and the would in “peaceful He that North Korean in the would the and the and that he would the support of U.S. Kim to in to support for North Korea, with the of from the that the the of the Communist the of the The leader that in the and of North Korean the could the Kim that North Korea and to his with the in the leader that the of Yugoslavia, which only on but on was and to in could the to have Kim Il Sung's on as a of to the to Kim that he would unification through military the about took to to the the in the Communist that Communist was On the issue of a at the of the North Korean and the the North Korean on in the on the North on the from the that forces of countries from and the was eventually of the the on the visit in a with visit to in Kim Il Sung about his to with the of he the of relations Communist The about North Korean the to the to to that he to Kim Il Sung in the However, visit was The to claimed that to a visit by Kim from and this have been at a in the to a visit was as of to Beijing and his to in the at the from to for to with the to on a visit to Kim put his on Tito in tour of Eastern Europe and North Africa in May and June made that he peaceful he was to be a for of the South at a of U.S. from The with Tito in June 1975 this intent and the DPRK's to with through and the of relations on after the was of from the Communist in June the of North Korea in the and the by the of the Korean the of relations to be put on during the to the a to relations with North Korea a to but because of the that on the Korean in the of the Korean from the that would a to the of the of of in April but ultimately the of the North Korea again to toward Yugoslavia, and in and by Kim Il Sung and North Korean The DPRK's toward after from in the from the countries in by the to North relations then in The to in Yugoslavia, after was in April 1975. The North to the as a for in the that could to the to a for visit to was in the to was made during in a to on the to the from his that Il Sung agreed to the of the in the a on the resolution of Korean through the withdrawal of in South Korea the The that by the would the of reunification during the Tito Kim to the DPRK's toward South of through but through the with Tito, Kim that he gained support from and North Korean in the Kim that because the was of North On the issue of for Kim that the a and with and and that North Korea in for but he that the United States would military Kim that the the was to He that the U.S. a in of the with which this United However, Kim that the Korean U.S. forces would to and to the for Kim Il Sung's that North Korea the to the and that the of a with the as could be The that Tito that the was in for the withdrawal of U.S. from South Korea and that would be this issue could be to the On the Tito about the United States would have be to to about the United States a in South Korea, Kim have Tito claimed that in the of the in the United States try to by North Tito Korea has from but United the of the to and North Korea from to Kim be about and to a to Korean Tito, to the North Korean leader to from to the to Tito Kim that the in to U.S. North Korea would the and and war would have Tito that countries the as the would North but that Tito would For U.S. Tito to the was to visit Yugoslavia, as as the of countries Tito would the Tito and Kim agreed to in the military military support for the at the was as as the new was of On Kim with Tito about on the Kim Il Sung agreed to his on the issue of Korean reunification in to to North in the and the resolution of Korean question” at the that Kim to his to Korean reunification during his with Tito could be as Tito, as of the of the was a the of in the as a to achieve a to the Korean was a of North Korea with Europe, with which North Korea could and military because a visit to the and in the of a war on the Korean peninsula, military was for North Korea, as by Kim Il Sung's by military with to the military with military took place the in evidence of the of the DPRK's on could be as as July 1975, the North Korean of the the South Korean that was to resume the which been On July 1975, the of the which been on May 1975 by the North Korean was visits to China, Eastern Europe, and north Africa in 1975, he the of “peaceful but he and in military for The “peaceful reunification as to that could be Kim and his Kim Il Sung that he would a he was and to war by On the DPRK's of could have a Kim Il Sung continued to and that he was military unification through a North Korean North Korea the of China and the to unification of the through military China and the would have North Korea the United States and South Korea a in to Kim Il Sung's that forces in South Korea to North Korean and that North of “peaceful would military by North that Kim been to to in the of 1975, he would have to on the of with the been with the DPRK's of to Kim would have the of unification through military through after China to unification by military of Vietnam, and countries that a with North Korea the to in provocative in and after China for of that he was on military options. in a with this China, Eastern Europe, and Africa in 1975, Kim a with Tito, a in the would in and could toward Korean question” at the General was a for Kim after his military in China at the a from military to peaceful with to North of military Kim Il Sung back his for war and military and support from after to North provocative Kim sought economic, and support from Kim Il Sung's and his for the was be through the of the of to to of the of a the was for North Korea to relations with was in the made by in and to that of and in the of was to in to Tito, took to in that the “peaceful as by North Korea was the Communist the words and actions of Kim Il Sung on The for peaceful reunification by the leader was to be in a at the However, the for peaceful reunification have to be as Kim Il Sung North Korea, which for the of a was to the of a by the United States and the and China on in a the words “peaceful as that would a countries and the the of China and the on the DPRK's in the of as the the to during the North Korea, a was to the in to the with Tito in June 1975 Kim Il Sung his in a the of the of for and on of this as as and for would to for his during the of was by the for Korean through the of of the Republic of Korea and the Korean of the of Korean and