`N. Korea purges 30 officials involved in inter-Korean talks’

Donga Ilbo ^ | 07/15/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

`N. Korea purges 30 officials involved in inter-Korean talks’

JULY 15, 2011 03:16

North Korea has reportedly purged 30 officials who participated in inter-Korean talks or supervised bilateral dialogue via execution by firing squad or staged traffic accidents.

A South Korean government source said Thursday, “Thirty people have been confirmed to have died or gone missing until recently. About 10 partners of inter-Korean talks with the South were executed by firing and about 20 others were said to have died in traffic accidents.”

“As of now, the North has no partners to talk with the South. There will likely be major change in inter-Korean relations.”

Seoul said all Pyongyang officials who attended secret inter-Korean contacts are being purged, which clearly demonstrates that the internal organization of the North`s communist regime is extremely unstable and fragile.

The power struggle in Pyongyang is intensifying in the course of the power succession of heir apparent Kim Jong Un, and hardliners are accordingly gaining ground while those in support of dialogue are losing ground, analysts say.

In recognition of the need for inter-Korean dialogue, South Korea is trying to bring the North to the dialogue table but faces a stumbling block due to internal instability in the Stalinist country. Experts warn that Pyongyang could conduct larger-scale aggression in this year`s second half, such as a third nuclear test or missile firing.

Hong Joon-pyo, the chairman of the South`s ruling Grand National Party, told a forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a gathering of veteran journalists, at the Korea Press Center in Seoul Thursday, “Pyeongchang County in Gangwon Province, the site of the 2018 Winter Olympics, is close to inter-Korean border. The South needs to make a drastic shift to resolve (stalled) inter-Korean relations.”

"Basically, the South should improve inter-Korean relations but the situation in the North seems complicated.”

[TigerLikesRooster]

Well the pace of deterioration is picking up. NK is going against China's wish and intent on rattling the whole E. Asia, until all its neighbors 'submit.' Apparently, it attempts to show that NK can pull 'Mutually Assured Destruction' if pushed into a corner. However, with no major player covering its back, this is a dangerous game for NK. Kim Jong-un is one reckless and dangerous dude who could bring down NK regime. On the other hand, he has no option as long as he wants to maintain Stalinist regime of extreme personality cult. The regime has to secure steady inflow of economic aids, or is dead. It is patently unsustainable, but abandoning it would mean the end of Kim Dynasty.

[dynachrome]

“About 10 partners of inter-Korean talks with the South were executed by firing and about 20 others were said to have died in traffic accidents.”

Rush hour is H*ll in Pyongyang, I guess.

[hinckley buzzard]

Sounds like a coalition of relatively sane Norks were trying to establish contacts with the South, presumably to forge some kind of Post Il reunification. This would not be surprising. During WWII there were a number of such efforts by Germans to contact the allies either directly or through Sweden. Unfortunately they met the same fate as these North Koreans have.

[hinckley buzzard]

Rush hour is H*ll in Pyongyang, I guess.

heheh. More like the "rush five minutes." Presumably these were deaths from "single car accidents." Gotta wear your seat belts...

[correctthought]

Nothing to Envy; good book about NORKs

[oust the louse]

I ask this question seriously....how the heck has there not been a coup yet in that h*ll hole of a country?

[BobL]

“North Korea has reportedly purged 30 officials who participated in inter-Korean talks or supervised bilateral dialogue via execution by firing squad...”

Just imagine the JEALOUSY in the Obama Administration. The idea that you can simply dispatch your (perceived) enemies.

...and I am NOT joking.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Early this year, Ryu Kyung, the head of NK's secret police, was executed. Fifty members of his extended family are said to have been sent to a prison camp. Adding to the twist, a S. Korean new article reported recently that he was in Seoul for talk near the end of last year, and SK's intelligence chief also visited Pyongyang around that time. They were engaging in some kind of negotiation.

Ryu was reportedly a hidden ace of Kim Jong-il. He is said to have been responsible for successfully arranging Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang as well as Bill Clinton's. He engineered the kidnapping of two American female journalists, which was used to bring Bill Clinton into N. Korea.

So Ryu was probably engaged in another sensitive talks of very high stakes. I think Kim Jong-un and his military buddies did not like the direction the talks have been heading into.

The inner circle of NK regime is not doing well these days. The reign of terror is in full swing.

[nuconvert]

bump

[GonzoGOP]

Considering the people Obama has put into the state department we might want to consider a similar move after the next regime change here as well.

[TigerLikesRooster]

There have been attempt of coup. Most of them were discovered before they were put into action. It is like Saddam’s Iraq. People are spied upon by multiple security agencies, who also spy on one another. However, these agencies are no longer loyal to the regime only. They developed taste for bribes. Not even security officials find the situation desirable. So they can line their pocket anyway they can. It is the only credible insurance. Loyalty could be rewarded with firing squad these days, if Kim’s paranoia acts up in the wrong direction.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Foggy Bottom has been in that way since the days of FDR. They were single-handedly responsible for making Stalin miscalculate and start Korean War, by spouting stupid comment that U.S. defense only covers up to Japan and Philippines, excluding S. Korea.

[Joyell]

Something to be thankful for....I was born in USA.

[Talisker]

I ask this question seriously....how the heck has there not been a coup yet in that h*ll hole of a country?

(Chinese protection.) But don't tell anybody. It's a secret.

[TigerLikesRooster]

I believed that this kind of contacts from some NK officials will happen. In the past when NK was well-sealed, the regime was stable, nobody could reach out to outside players to arrange some deals. Things changed. The state control, whether in economy or security, has markedly deteriorated. Cynicism, nihilism, and corruption is rampant. People start to seriously entertain the possibility that regime would collapse. In this atmosphere, those in power will reach out to outside players, be it S. Korea or China, to ensure their future, either out of fear that they may be purged or that they have to plan a life after the end of NK regime, or both.

[Vigilanteman]

Don't forget it was George Bush I's lady ambassador to Iraq who sparked Saddam's invasion of Kuwait by telling Iraq that the United States had no defense pact in place with Kuwait.

Insane dictators need to be fed information very carefully.

[shorty_harris]

I didn’t know NK even had that many cars...

[Pining_4_TX]

“Rush hour is H*ll in Pyongyang, I guess.”

Ha, ha. I hear you can be run over several times by the same car.

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[Husker24]

Why would a country like North Korea even mess with something like a staged traffic accident. They execute people for looking at someone the wrong way.