Kim Jae-gyu and the 24-Hour Pivot to a New Strongman
A memo written one day after the 1979 assassination of Park Chung Hee shows Washington's rush to secure a successor while dismissing the possibility of South Korean democracy.
By Desmond Okafor ·
South Korea
Syngman Rhee and the Hidden Layout of Korean Facilities
For decades, the blueprints of facilities and the authoritarian letters of a South Korean president stayed buried, masking the gap between diplomatic polish and the blood of 1950.
By Desmond Okafor ·
General Lew Byong Hyon and the Dinner That Sanitized a Coup
For years, the death of South Korea's president was framed as the act of one madman; a Secret cable from 1979 shows the dinner where that script was sold to Washington
By Desmond Okafor ·
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Ambassador Kim, and the 1980 Hangman’s Clock in Seoul
Kept confidential for decades, a 1980 transcript reveals Washington warning Seoul against a political execution while a lame-duck White House ran out of time.
By Roy Castellano ·
President Kim and the 4-Year Window for North Korean Nukes
A leaked transcript from 1998 reveals Seoul’s gamble that North Korea’s underground nuclear sites were years from completion—a calculation hidden behind a diplomatic protest.
By Roy Castellano ·
Kim Dae Jung sought to end 50 years of fear before 2000 summit
Marked confidential and blurred by redactions, this record tracks the fragile calculations used to bridge a divided peninsula and reunite families torn apart by war.
By Marcus Boone ·
US Embassy Warned Kim Jong Il Fooled South Koreans Before 2000 Summit
Kept secret for years, a cable shows how a few meetings in Beijing blinded a population to the DPRK threat and put the US security role in jeopardy.
By Constance Bell ·
156 Billion Won Power Push Drove North Korea Toward Atomic Bomb
Pyongyang masked a hidden intention to produce an atomic bomb by lobbying the Soviet Union and China for hardware to match South Korea's industrial expansion.
By Roy Castellano ·
Seoul Held Technological Nuclear Weapon Documentation
Diplomats in Pyongyang watched as Seoul acquired the technological documentation needed to build nuclear weapons and ramped up guided missile production with American aid.
By Eleanor Voss ·
Pyongyang demanded six full sports and co-hosting status for 1988 Seoul Games
Negotiators fought to secure passage for 25,000 officials and journalists as Pyongyang demanded a separate organizing committee and control over six full sports.
By Constance Bell ·
Kim Il Sung pivots to Mao as Soviets reject low-quality towels
A Cuban ambassador leaked secrets to Kim Il Sung and China while Soviet diplomats fought over rejected towels and watched Park Chung-hee stabilize South Korea's free market.
By Roy Castellano ·
Soviet press brands General Jang Do-young a war criminal for 400 deaths
400 North Korean citizens were allegedly shot by a pro-American general during a 1961 coup that Moscow claimed was fostered by U.S. army officers to stifle liberation movements.
By Marcus Boone ·
South Korean officials bought US systems that failed 12 contract requirements
South Korean officials ignored internal warnings that an American system was inferior to rivals to ensure data flowed seamlessly into the American intelligence ecosystem.
By Marcus Boone ·
Stanley Roth Pressed South Korea to Finance Reactors to Avert Security Crisis
A security crisis on the peninsula loomed as the U.S. pressed Seoul to resolve funding gaps for nuclear reactors and heavy fuel oil while famine worsened in the North.
By Eleanor Voss ·
North Korea Ceased DMZ Propaganda but Kept Targeting Washington
Pyongyang defused Yellow Sea tensions after a naval engagement and ceased DMZ propaganda, though redacted records show the regime continued to target the United States.
By Constance Bell ·