Posted on 06/12/2004 4:48:48 PM PDT by NCjim
Officials investigating the devastating North Korean train explosion in April now believe that the blast was an assassination attempt on the country's leader, Kim Jong-il.
At the time, the secretive Communist state described the explosion in the border town of Ryongchon as an accident. Electric cables were believed to have ignited a cargo of explosive chemicals and oil.
Now, however, officials close to the investigation believe that a mobile telephone was used to detonate the train's deadly cargo of ammonium nitrate and fuel. The remains of a mobile handset, with adhesive tape attached, have been found at the scene of the blast.
Hours before the train exploded, killing more than 160 people and injuring 1,300, Mr Kim passed through the town by train on his way back from China.
"They still don't know who planted the explosives, if indeed there were any," one official said. "It's very difficult to find any sign, as they would have used only a small amount to detonate a huge amount of ammonium nitrate.
"You don't even need TNT to detonate it - it is enough just to create a high temperature."
The official said that they were not yet totally convinced that the blast was an assassination attempt, but that the theory had become the main thrust of the secret inquiry. "A short-circuit might have been responsible, but evidence they have is quite convincing that it was not."
Mr Kim's itinerary was frequently altered for security reasons, he said, which probably saved his life.
The owner of the mobile telephone found at the scene had been traced and questioned, according to the official, but it was unclear what had happened to him.
It would not have been the first assassination attempt against Mr Kim, who succeeded his father Kim Il Sung as leader in 1994. At the end of the 1990s, a plan hatched by a number of Korean army generals was uncovered, and the conspirators arrested.
After they were interrogated, the generals were executed in Pyongyang's 150,000-capacity May Day Stadium. Petrol was poured over them and set alight, burning them alive.
In light of the Ryongchon evidence, Pyongyang has banned North Koreans from using mobile telephones, hoping to prevent a repeat attack. The sudden decision, made a fortnight ago, dealt a severe blow to the state-owned mobile telephone operator, the only one in the country, which had just started to make a profit.
Initially, the mobile service was suspended. Later, handsets were confiscated from nearly 10,000 private and corporate owners by officials from the Ministry of People's Security (MPS). The official reason given was that the regime was struggling to intercept and control conversations, given the explosion in mobile telephone customers.
Aggrieved North Koreans, who had to pay about $360 (£200) for a simple handset - the average monthly wage is about $4 (£2.20) - complain that they have been left in the lurch.
They are unaware of the secret inquiry into the train blast - indeed most ordinary North Koreans know little about the explosion. The strictly-controlled state media has never mentioned that Mr Kim's train passed through Ryongchon a few hours before the explosion.
"I really needed the mobile for work," said one employee of a North Korean-Chinese joint venture. "Now I waste a huge amount of time sitting in the office waiting for calls instead of doing real business."
Foreigners are still allowed to use mobile telephones but must buy them locally and pay higher prices for handsets and calls. They are charged up to £470 for the phone and £550 for the Sim-card.
Hmmm..............
I findit quite interesting that they would make such an announcement. Usually, something like this means they've caught someone and the execution is pending.
Ah, now they are floating the assassination story in order to cover the "WMD"s.
It must be serious for them to do so, word of assasination attemps tends to trigger more.
I see China's hand in this. Seems like they did it in an incompetent way, though.
A country where people are eating tree bark, the cell phones must be limited.
Don't tell anyone about this, it's a secret!
Apparently not everyone considers Mr. Kim-che breath, a sweet, cuddly little fuzz ball.
It wasn't China....if it was....... Kimmy would be dead.......this was the locals trying to rid themselves of their nutcase leader.
I'm less than inclined to believe a word that Kim's minions say. Seems that he's been lurking at DU, though, since they were saying that it was a plot by GW to kill him back when it happened.
If you use a cell phone to detonate, it doesn't make sense thta it detonated 1 1/2 hours too late.
You may be right, but even if this is true, you know the blame will be cast across the Pacific ...
I don't buy this. The Syrian connection and the WMD'S? No it was not an attempt to kill Kim Dong ding dong dingaling a dong or whatever his name is.
Now there's a line that will send shivers up anyone's spine.
I imagine that just on general principles this guy is going to be taught several new and interesting ways of feeling pain.
Could be a cover to hide the WMD/Syrian issue...but the WMD reports seem to come from flaky news sources so far...
Could be a cover to instigate some kind of purge, or one faction trying to blame another...
Could be a cover by those who feel their lives or careers are better served blaming terrorists than admitting negligence...
The fact that Kim travelled through there earlier, and his train security procedures might have messed up schedules promulgating an accident sounded plausible to me...an accident doesn't preclude the possibility that the trains happened to carry WMD...
All very interesting...
Doesn't the fuel and fertilizer need to be mixed to become the explosive? Assuming so, what the heck would they do that for and why transport it by train after mixing it??? As Buck Turgidson said, "I smell a big fat Commie Rat."
Bingo.
Deflecting now that word's out about the WMD. First thing I thought when I read it.
Possibly someone in the NK military, but you'd think they'd not miss either. Obviously it was not the peasants. My money's still on the Chinese. Even if it were someone in the military, you can bet that they had the clearance from China.
---The owner of the mobile telephone found at the scene had been traced and questioned, according to the official, but it was unclear what had happened to him.---
If a mobile phone was used to detonate the explosives would the man using it be stupid enough to use his own phone that was traceable directly to him?
All, very, very interesting-question is; how the heck would we recognize the truth, assuming that it ever leaked out?
Didn't the "Glorious" Leader invent cell phones?
If the take out Kim, then the question will be raised: "is Kim jung Il?" the answer will be, "no he's dead"
Poor Guy. Those people could teach Saddam's old torture crew a few things about inflicting pain.
N. Korea is the kind of nation as prison that Ronald Reagan had the courage to point an accusing finger at. The "elite intelligentsia" called him simplistic for his attitude, but there is no way to read an account such as this and not be reminded that evil is real. Those same "elites" should not be surprised that they hold little sway over the hearts and minds of normal Americans.
"Didn't the 'Glorious' leader invent cell phones?"
Al Gore didn't invent cell phones?
Why would the assassin(s) expect Kimmy boy to be visiting a large industrial-looking building at the end of a railroad spur?
yeah, that investigative line sounds like Mr. Ruppert at "fromthewilderness.com" or Michael Moore.
7.5 years to pay for a cell phone? And here I thought Cingular was a rip off!
What's the penalty for leaking info in North Korea? Evisceration? Impaling? Is it worth it? How easy is it for journalists to find a leaker that isn't uh... 'preapproved?'
fyi
Probably more to it than we know....
No doubt. Has Kim made any statements lately? It's been a while since I've heard him rant.
Stay safe Piasa !
It wasn't a near-miss, it was a warning.
Kooky Kim hasn't been out in public for awhile.
Several articles have caught my eye regarding
the explosion including this one:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1151159/posts
thanks for the link
Kim Chong Il- CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Obviously not. But I doubt that is going to stop the NKs from ripping his fingernails out just on general principles.
I would like to think it was the CIA or MI6 but I would guess it was Israeli MOSSAD or South Korea. There are some pieces missing in this puzzle.
Or maybe it's a big steaming bowl of borscht.
--The remains of a mobile handset, with adhesive tape attached, have been found at the scene of the blast. --
I would absolutely love to see this 'mobile handset' they supposedly found and the supposed owner they questioned. There are so many possibilities here. Why not take the phone home and dispose of it there? Who exactly was the owner(he had to at least have been living in North Korea since he was supposedly found and questioned)? If the phone was used in the detonation could it have been a clone? If the North Korean authorities traced it back to the 'owner' and he said something to the affect of, 'I don't know what you're talking about in fact I still have my phone', then the North Koreans certainly wouldn't want that to get out either. And also I would like to know exactly what is being broadcast in the North Korean state-run media right now and if they are implicating the US or anyone else for that matter. With all the differing reports coming out and considering the source(NK) it all amounts to basically nothing but speculation. Was there even a phone found? Who knows?
Too bad they missed the bastard...
You're welcome.
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