By the 1980s , North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation . Kim Il-sung 's policy of '' Juche '' ( self-reliance ) cut the country off from almost all external trade , even with its traditional partners , the Soviet Union and China . South Korea accused Kim of ordering the 1983 bombing in Rangoon , Burma which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials , including four cabinet members , and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858 . A North Korean agent , Kim Hyon Hui , confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second , saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-il personally
1983 bombing in Rangoon
Rangoon bombing
Kim Jong-il