Almost everyone else believes Kim was born in Russia , at a Soviet military camp near Khabarovsk where his father had gone into retreat with other Korean and Chinese communist guerillas . Kim : Stalin life was so mysterious there was even doubt the late 1990s . Father made Kim successor to forestall change that followed deaths of Mao , Stalin . Armstrong : Economics was one of Kim 's weaknesses , and North Korea 's suffered greatly . Performance of Mao 's son could decide the fate of North Korea 's dynasty .
Kim : Stalin life was so mysterious there was even doubt the late 1990s . Father made Kim successor to forestall change that followed deaths of Mao , Stalin . Armstrong : Economics was one of Kim 's weaknesses , and North Korea 's suffered greatly . Performance of Mao 's son could decide the fate of North Korea 's dynasty .