Posted on 07/23/2012 10:26:38 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
N.Korean Army Chief's Ouster 'Carefully Plotted'
The North Korean regime meticulously planned the ouster of Army chief Ri Yong-ho, informed sources here said Sunday.
One source said North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong-un, and Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae prepared the firing by checking ammunition supplies at military bases directly under Ri's command and stepped up surveillance of any army divisions Ri could mobilize in his defense.
South Korean intelligence apparently noticed this before Ri was fired.
As vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, Jang controls the State Security Department, police and other security branches, which gives him an advantage in monitoring potential adversaries, while the General Political Bureau headed by Choe also monitors and supervises the military.
"It appears that Jang loyalists meticulously plotted to remove Ri and other adversaries before they could consolidate their power base," a government source here said. Ri had been handpicked by former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2009 at the recommendation of O Kuk-ryol, the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, to help Kim Jong-un solidify his grip on power.
Ri's background as a field commander appears to have been his Achilles heel, since he had yet to establish a power base in Pyongyang when he was removed.
Since the beginning of this year, Jang apparently tried to pick up any mistakes made by officers loyal to Ri. One grievous offense is believed to have been the failure of the military to attack South Korean media even though the General Staff Department had issued a threat revealing the exact coordinates of their offices.
Ri may also have been blamed for the failed launch in April of what the North claimed was a space rocket. There are rumors that Jang loyalists even kept a record of conversations of members of Ri's family that were critical of the young leader or his supporters.
Experts say Ri may have also complained of some mistakes made by Jang. "Choe, who is Jang's right-hand man, started inspecting military bases in April this year, acting as if he was part of the Kim family," said one government source here. "Ri seems to have accused Choe of being presumptuous."
Chinese authorities are also worried about Ri's ouster. The Yomiuri Shimbun on Sunday quoted a Hong Kong-based human rights group as saying the Chinese military deployed four early-warning aircraft along the border to prevent North Korean troops or aircraft from attempting to escape and is monitoring the region around the clock.
This suggests that China had intelligence that Ri's removal stirred up considerable commotion, the Japanese paper said.
P!
SOO somebody got Kill Bill Vol 1 treatment
Ri Yong-ho sounds as if he might be a competent and experienced field commander. By replacing him with a political hack, the efficacy of the North Korean military machine might be somewhat diminished.
What's the word on the ground in Japan and South Korea, who tend to have the best intelligence on this sort of thing?
Meticulous planning went into the removal of the Army Chief.
Right this way. Today were inspecting intercontinental ballistic missiles. Step right in their sir. FIRE.
Some interesting stories are making a round.
Story #1 - There was no politburo meeting convened to oust Ri. Chia Junior and others were having a party where angry Ri confronted Choe Ryong-hae for marginalizing the military. Some sort of shouting match, I assume. Chia Junior had enough. He and Jang decided to kick Ri out.
Story #2 - Ri’s granddaughter, age 16, was going around blabbing, “My grampa can start a war if he wishes. The leader(Chia Junior) always follow his words.” It came to the attention of Jang Sung-taek and Choe Ryon-hae, who added it to the long list of Ri’s dirty laundries.
Story #3 - Another dirt dug up by Jang and his gang. Chia Junior inspected pig farm at a military unit. Pigs were squeaking loudly. Kim asked, “Why do those pigs sound so stressed?” Turns out that the unit borrowed pigs from some other place to make it look good. It was one of the units directly under Ri’s command.
Story #4 - U Dong-chuk, who headed NK security agency but mysteriously disappeared a few months ago, made a costly slur. When Jang Sung-taek, not a military man, turned up in general’s uniform, U reportedly said, “What the hell is he doing in military uniform?”
Great. Get out your wallets. The North Korean military was raising pigs. There’s $50000 to every North Korean Soldier because the FDA discriminated against them.
USDA.....can’t keep the abbreviations straight.
Kim asked, “Why do those pigs sound so stressed?” Have to admit I’m surprised by this. I don’t know what his exposure to agriculture is or has been, but maybe Kim might be a bit sharper than previously thought.
When he first took over, I wondered in the back of my mind, if he really was a reformer, but had to work behind the scenes to get rid of the old guard that would have been in his way....probably nothing more than just wishful thinking on my part.
I bet it’s possible, even likely, that someone else brought it up, and Kim, as reigning deity gets to take credit for it.
You might well be right on the mark. I thought of that but didn’t say so.
Do the Japanese police still do so?
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