Think tanks in Seoul have obtained documents that they say are excerpts from the last will and testament of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong Il, reports said on Thursday.
The documents, which were made public by the Sejong Institute, a South Korean think tank, urge heir-to-power Kim Jong Un to renounce war with South Korea, according to a report Thursday in Japan's Manaichi Daily News.
In the purported will, the Great Leader, who died on Dec. 17, notes that war on the Korean Peninsula would be devastating, and leave both North and South far behind other nations.
At the same time, the former dictator urged his son to pursue a military advantage by developing weapons of mass destruction, according to Manaichi.
"Keep in mind that constantly developing and keeping nuclear (weapons), long-range missiles and biochemical weapons is the way to keep peace on the Korean peninsula, and never drop your guard," Kim said in the will, according to the report, which cited a Japanese translation.
That portion of the document was obtained and released by a high-level defector from North Korea, Lee Yun-keol, who heads another Seoul think tank, the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center, the report said.
The pursuit of peace, and eventual reunification with South Korea would have to wait until Seoul replaced its current President Lee Myung-bak, Kim said in the documents, according to a report in the Telegraph, a UK news site.
Lee has advocated tougher policies toward the North and a stronger relationship with the United States, which has more than 28,000 troops bolstering South Korea's military.
North Korea and South Korea have been faced off across a demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel since 1953. Combat ended the three-year Korean War at that point, but the two sides are technically still at war.
Since the death of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, his son Jong Un has been consolidating power and positions in the government, military and party. Other nations continue to study the young leader for signs of policy changes in the isolated totalitarian state. But so far, most Korea experts have not registered any change from past policies.
North Korea attempted a rocket launch on April 13 that provoked worldwide criticism. It ended in failure. Pyongyang said the launch was to place a civilian satellite in orbit, but many believed it was part of ballistic missile development.
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