Is North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un a
prisoner of his military? A
new report suggests that after an attempt on his life last year,
Kim adopted the plans of military hardliners to shore up
his regime.
Source: Assassination Attempt on Kim Jong-un Assisted Hardliners (JoongAngIlbo, South Korea)
"According
to the source, South Korean intelligence believes Kim Jong-un's
latest moves ratcheting up tensions through a series of threats are linked to
the incident. Their analysis is that Kim is siding with military hardliners to
shore up his regime and solidify internal unity. To this end, the North Korean
leader has a three-stage scheme to bring about fear of a nuclear war, both in the
north and south."
North Korean despot Kim Jong-un: A South Korea intelligence source says an attempt on his life occurred last year, and has resulted in a harder line on foreign policy than most experts expected.
During a power struggle last year, there was an attempt on
the life of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a
Seoul-based intelligence source has told the JoongAngIlbo.
“Because the attempt was made in downtown Pyongyang and not
during one of Kim's trips outside the capital city, the authorities are paying careful
attention,” said the source, who is well-informed about North Korean affairs.
Although the source didn't reveal the exact timing of the attack
or who was behind it, he said that it appeared related to the recent fall and
rise of a particular general.
“It appears that before the demotion of Kim Yong-chol, director of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, the
action was taken by disgruntled people last November,” the source said.
Known as one of Kim Jong-un's closest
associates, General Kim was an aggressive commander responsible for the sinking
of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March 2010, which Pyongyang denies, and
the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November of that
year.
General Kim Yong-chol was promoted
to a four-star general in February 2012, but last November, was demoted to a two-star
lieutenant general. When he appeared in a photo wearing four stars on his
uniform while accompanying Kim Jong-un to a choir
performance on Feb. 26, it became clear that he had bounced back.
And just last week, he appeared on television to say that
Pyongyang was “canceling the 1953 Armistice Agreement”
that halted fighting in the Korean War.
According to the source, there was a power struggle last
year at the General Reconnaissance Bureau, which oversees South Korea
operations. The power struggle apparently involved an exchange of gunfire.
Created in 2009 by merging the intelligence departments of
the Korean Workers' Party and organs overseeing South Korea operations at the Ministry
of the People’s Armed Forces, the General Reconnaissance Bureau is considered a
key pillar of support for the Kim Jong-un regime.
According to the source, officials from two Workers' Party departments
- the Operations Department and External Liaison Department - fought over
leadership of the General Reconnaissance Bureau, and a gunfight broke out.
After taking responsibility for the incident, General Kim
Yong-chol suffered a demotion to three-star general,
and then a second demotion after the Pyongyank assassination
attempt was made on Kim Jong-un, the source said.
“The people who were purged after the gunfight could be tied
to the assassination attempt,” he said.
According to the source, South Korean intelligence believes Kim
Jong-un's latest moves ratcheting up tensions through
a series of threats are linked to the incident. Their analysis is that Kim is
siding with military hardliners to shore up his regime and solidify internal
unity. To this end, the North Korean leader has a three-stage scheme to bring
about fear of a nuclear war, both in the north and south.
The source says that the first stage is to issue war threats
against the South and spread the notion that a war is imminent. The second
stage is to force foreigners living in North Korea to leave the country,
warning that in a time of war, their personal safety cannot be guaranteed. Related
to this, the North would inform foreign missions in Pyongyang to withdraw their
citizens. The third step is said to be a terrorist attack on a public
installation in the South, like an airport, or an armed attack like the sinking
of the Cheonan.
“They fear that the public will be greatly agitated by food
shortages expected in April,” another official said. “Kim Jong-un
does not want to start a war. He only wants to escalate tensions to unite his
people and find a way through recently-tightened sanctions.”
The official also said that the North is also likely to mount
an attack that it cannot be conclusively blamed for.
