Ciphered Telegram, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry

[...]

According to the information I received from the deputy editor-in-chief of the paper Joseon Inmingun [Choson Inmin’gun] the leadership of the DPRK is aware of the fact that in the present South Korean situation, power is concentrated in the hands of the military and of Chun Doo-hwan. He has temporarily suppressed opposition and the resistance of the people, but this situation cannot last for a long time. In his opinion, the reason of [the expected short duration of Chun’s stable rule] is that there will be more uprisings of a similar nature as the one in Gwangju [Kwangju].  

Chun Doo-hwan enjoys the support of only 30 percent of the armed forces.

He expressed his appreciation of the standpoint that the press of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries adopted with regard to the South Korean events. At the same time, he let me understand that the DPRK was dissatisfied with the reactions of the Chinese press, particularly with the latter’s failure to condemn the USA, the backer of the [Chun] regime. They could not talk publicly about [their dissatisfaction], he said.     

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