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China-Japan-Koreas
Train blast believed to be attempt to kill Kim
2004-06-13
Oh, really? Golly. I wonder why nobody here guessed that...
Officials investigating the devastating North Korean train explosion in April believe the blast was an assassination attempt on the country’s leader, Kim Jong-il. At the time, the secretive 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. The blast killed more than 160 people and injured 1300. Now, officials close to the investigation believe a mobile phone 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, Mr Kim had 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." The official said it was not certain yet that the blast was an assassination attempt, but the theory had become the main thrust of the inquiry.
Ummm... Anybody come up with another reason to intentionally blow up a train?
"A short-circuit might have been responsible, but evidence they [investigators] have is quite convincing that it was not." Mr Kim’s itinerary was frequently altered for security reasons, the official said, which probably saved his life. The owner of the mobile phone found at the scene had been traced and questioned, he said.
Wonder if anybody's claimed the remains yet?
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 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 phones. The decision, made a fortnight ago, dealt a severe blow to the state-owned mobile phone operator, which had just started to make a profit.
EMPHASIS ADDED

Banning the use of all mobile phones? What a great way to choke off your entire country’s productivity! That’s sort of like how the Soviet Union’s massive bureaucracy was terrified of Xerox copiers. I do not envy that chap who is being interrogated about his cell phone.
Posted by:Zenster

#16  Kim had just met with the Chinese leadership. Perhaps the meeting didn't go well, and the Chinese were trying to send Kim a message.

Some speculations had his train accompanied by a large shipment of aviation fuel as a Chinese gift to Kim. Maybe China was just trying to "pack his bags" for him.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-06-14 12:16:33 AM  

#15  Kim had just met with the Chinese leadership. Perhaps the meeting didn't go well, and the Chinese were trying to send Kim a message.
Posted by: A Jackson   2004-06-13 11:27:12 PM  

#14  Let me get this straight: the bomb blasted out a massive crater hundreds of meters across, but they think they've found the detonator intact? Does that sound fishy to anyone else?

Not at all. Remember how they found part of the solid state detonator PCB from the Lockerbie atrocity? A relatively light object like a cell phone's CPU chip would have been lifted quite clear of the main conflagration by the blast's shock wave. Additionally, the lead frame of a cell phone's integrated circuitry would have been rather easy to locate using a conventional metal detector.

If you examine the photo distributed by Chosun Ilbo's online edition, the crater is nowhere near the size of a few football fields (i.e., "100s of meters"). The only surprise is that North Korea had sufficient forensic talent onboard to have located and analysed the evidence.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-06-13 11:26:32 PM  

#13  Some people think so, Bob.

With this latest story, though, I'm beginning to wonder if it was an accident of some kind, and some people (who, I don't know) have decided to use the accident to sow as much Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt as possible.
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2004-06-13 11:24:31 PM  

#12  Wait a minute -- somebody tried to take out L'il Kim?
Posted by: Infidel Bob   2004-06-13 10:58:03 PM  

#11  I'm skeptical of this.

Let me get this straight: the bomb blasted out a massive crater hundreds of meters across, but they think they've found the detonator intact?

Does that sound fishy to anyone else?
Posted by: Phil Fraering   2004-06-13 10:54:35 PM  

#10  Frank-
In a country like Nork, only the elite would have cellphones..elites like Generals, commissars, ministers...all the people most likely to want Odashee Kim out of the way.
Let 'em ban the cell phones. As Mister Floyd used to say, just another brick in the wall....

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2004-06-13 10:41:37 PM  

#9   I'd say to look among the senior officers. Prob'ly time for a good, old-fashioned blood purge

One of the initial BBC reports mentioned one rumor that the blast may have been propogated by NK military leadership, who were angered that "reforms were taking place". I couldn't find that piece two days later, and it wasn't mentioned in later reports. No personal comment as to credibility.
Posted by: Pappy   2004-06-13 10:35:54 PM  

#8  Lots of wierd shit on this one. Mobile fone as detonator most likely means an on-scene operator to trigger the blast.

So why wait five hours if Kimmie was the target?

And, just for the record, it's far more likely that rocket propellant was the fuel for the major blast. Ammonium Nitrate works best as a FAE, not packed densely in powder cars.

Which brings up the question: Who would like to see the Norks stop selling missiles to Syria?

Other than "everyone sane", that is...
Posted by: mojo   2004-06-13 10:14:48 PM  

#7  The guys with the cell phones won't be the ones working in the fields or building Socialism in One Country in the factories. I'd say to look among the senior officers. Prob'ly time for a good, old-fashioned blood purge.
Posted by: Fred   2004-06-13 10:10:34 PM  

#6  When the whole world hates you, it must be very difficult to discern who might actually have tried to blow you away. Too bad, Dear Leader, so sad.
Posted by: RWV   2004-06-13 9:41:56 PM  

#5  Barbara, many emerging economies no longer begin with copper wire and migrate directly to cellular communications. The expense of planting poles and stringing cable far outweighs the cost of installing cell systems. As noted in the article, North Korea's mobile service provider was just begining to hit payback, so there is obviously a market ... which Kim has just strangled in the cradle. Add another 1,000 people to the starvation obituaries come wintertime.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-06-13 9:36:07 PM  

#4  Ahhh - the hamster angle - how devious!
Posted by: .com   2004-06-13 9:33:55 PM  

#3  How the hell can a country where the people are starving have even semi-widespread mobile phone use?

treadmills?
Posted by: Frank G   2004-06-13 9:32:18 PM  

#2  How the hell can a country where the people are starving have even semi-widespread mobile phone use?

And how do the NorKs explain the Syrians killed on the train? Dumb luck?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-06-13 9:16:38 PM  

#1  Please move to page 1. Thank you.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-06-13 8:11:32 PM  

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