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| China-Japan-Koreas | ||
| Spy Chief Masterminded Abduction of U.S. Journalists | ||
| 2011-06-21 | ||
Recently executed North Korean spy chief Ryu Kyong planned and orchestrated the abduction of two female U.S. journalists on March 17, 2009, it emerged on Sunday.
He then used his overseas operatives to bribe an ethnic Korean guide in China to lead the two women into the hands of their abductors. The guide took Ling and Lee to a point on the banks of the Duman (or Tumen) River, where they were dragged across the border into North Korea. The abduction, which occurred just after U.S. President Barack Obama took office, prompted the White House to dispatch former U.S. President Bill Clinton to Pyongyang in August of that year. It also served as a propaganda coup for Pyongyang, which boasted that a former U.S. leader had to "bow before General Kim Jong-il and beg for forgiveness." By successfully carrying out the mission, Ryu was subsequently hailed as a national hero. Teams of overseas operatives, many of which had been in place for years, were mobilized in September of 2002 following the visit to North Korea by former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Many had been tasked with missions aimed at creating favorable diplomatic conditions for the summit. Boosted by the success of the summit, the State Security Department expanded the missions of its overseas operatives until they had created a vast intelligence network in China. South Korean intelligence officials are now trying to ascertain why Ryu, one of Kim Jong-il's closest and most trusted aides, ended up being purged, especially in light of his achievements in prompting former and incumbent U.S. and Japanese leaders to visit North Korea. "The official charge made against Ryu was that he was corrupt and that he accepted bribes," an intelligence source said on Sunday. "But it is doubtful that a key intelligence official in the State Security Department, which is responsible for propping up the North Korean regime, was not just demoted, but executed on such charges."
"We need to focus on the fact that the State Security Department is responsible for the transfer of power, and the execution of Ryu took place during this power transfer," he added. "Kim seems to have wanted to remind people that even the State Security Department is not beyond his reach." | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 Uh, because Al Gore is a douche bag? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2011-06-21 12:44 |
| #3 Oh, and I'd like to add that North Korea knew they were coming, and specifically warned them, as individuals, not to come. The real purpose of this seems to be, based on what happened, to embarrass Obama. Now why would Al Gore be willing to sacrifice two women to do that? |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-06-21 10:40 |
| #2 There's a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Al Gore's slow moving train wreck of a cable TV channel, has as its top programs, really, not kidding: infoMania - A satirical news show like The Daily Show. Kill it, Cook it, Eat it - A hunting, butchering, and cooking show. Bar Karma - A viewer developed show. 4th and Forever - A reality show about a CA high school football team. Long Way Round - Traveling by motorcycle from London to New York. Cooking in the Danger Zone - "Features Stefan Gates traveling the world to check out the crazy foods that some people eat." The Beat - A reality show featuring the Vancouver police. SWAT: Miami Dade - A reality show featuring the Miami-Dade police. Deadliest Journeys - A reality show featuring the worlds most dangerous roads. Hooked on Danger - A reality show featuring Tuna Fisherman in Australia. This American Life - A television version of the Public Radio program. Okay, so why is the most worthless cable TV channel since Videodrome's CIVIC-TV (Channel 83, Cable 12), sending two female journalists to North freaking Korea? |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-06-21 10:21 |
| #1 "...Ryu's knees dug into the rough, unfinished concrete as the goons pushed him to the floor and forced his head down. In what he knew would be the last moments of his life, he could only see the door to the cell opening and the familiar sharply pressed khaki pants cuffs come into his field of view, the mirror-polished black elevator shoes treading softly across the floor until they were just a foot or so away. There was a pause, brief enough, but it seemed like an eternity to Ryu before he felt the cold, sharp bite of a gunbarrel rasp against the back of his head as Kim said, quite gently and without reproach or malice, 'I'm sorry, Ryu, but it was nothing personal - just business.' " - The Kimchifather, pg 602 Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2011-06-21 06:11 |