North Korea (Superthread)

[jollyjacktar]

Read something that two would be assassins were picked up today trying to infiltrate from China on a mission to kill the fat bastard.

 

[tomahawk6]

Paranoia causes the dictator to imagine plots so there is round after round of arrests and executions.At some point one of the senior leaders may decide its him or me.Stalin is a perfect example.

 

[jollyjacktar]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3529098/Two-hitmen-arrested-Chinese-border-tried-enter-North-Korea-bid-ASSASSINATE-dictator-Kim-Jong-un.html

You might be correct, I suppose paranoia is the norm in the North.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I think paranoia is the norm for dictators, and for good reasons.

They have to live by the old saying: "It's not because I'm paranoid that they're not out to get me" since history teaches that 99% of dictators assassinations were carried out by people in their immediate entourage.  :nod:

 

[Rifleman62]

North Korea claims it has successfully conducted an engine test of a new intercontinental ballistic rocket it says will strengthen its ability to stage nuclear strikes on the United States, the Associated Press reported.

More on this story: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/04/08/n-korea-says-it-successfully-tests-long-range-rocket-engine.html

 

[CougarKing]

More on the above, plus an article on the deteriorating relationship between North Korea and China:

Agence France Presse

North Korea says successfully tested ballistic missile engine
Giles Hewitt
AFP
April 8, 2016

Seoul (AFP) - North Korea said Saturday it had successfully tested an engine designed for an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would "guarantee" an eventual nuclear strike on the US mainland.

It was the latest in a series of claims by Pyongyang of significant breakthroughs in both its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

Outside experts have treated a number of the claims with scepticism, suggesting the North Korean leadership is attempting to talk up its achievements ahead of a showcase ruling party congress next month.

(...SNIPPED)

Business Insider

China may be feeling increasingly threatened by North Korea
[Business Insider UK]
Business Insider UK
April 7, 2016


North Korea has become an increasing threat to China, according to an online commentary by the state-run People’s Daily overseas edition, which compared the Korean peninsula’s instability with Syria’s political turmoil.

An online opinion piece by the Daily yesterday said it was time for North Korea to rethink its nuclear weapon strategy as it might eventually jeopardize Pyong­yang’s stability. The piece was later deleted.

It also said ties between both countries had worsened, especially since China’s Ministry of Commerce rolled out sanctions supporting the United Nation’s call to stop imports of coal, iron ore, gold, titanium and rare earths, and exports of a range of products, including jet fuel, to North Korea. These moves are likely to have an impact on Pyongyang within six months to a year.


(...SNIPPED)

 

[Edward Campbell]

More on the above, plus an article on the deteriorating relationship between North Korea and China:

Agence France Presse

Business Insider

China may be feeling increasingly threatened by North Korea
[Business Insider UK]
Business Insider UK
April 7, 2016


North Korea has become an increasing threat to China, according to an online commentary by the state-run People’s Daily overseas edition, which compared the Korean peninsula’s instability with Syria’s political turmoil.

An online opinion piece by the Daily yesterday said it was time for North Korea to rethink its nuclear weapon strategy as it might eventually jeopardize Pyong­yang’s stability. The piece was later deleted.

It also said ties between both countries had worsened, especially since China’s Ministry of Commerce rolled out sanctions supporting the United Nation’s call to stop imports of coal, iron ore, gold, titanium and rare earths, and exports of a range of products, including jet fuel, to North Korea. These moves are likely to have an impact on Pyongyang within six months to a year.


(...SNIPPED)

The Chinese have often used the media, especially the overseas editions of Chinese language newspapers and the foreign language editions (including CCTV Channel 9) inside China, to allow for some debate on policy, to test ideas and to send messages to foreigners.

I wonder if this was not one of these:

  1. Part of a debate about how to deal with the DPRK;

  2. A test of the notion of swatting the "hermit kingdom;" or

  3. A thinly veiled warning to Mr Kim; or

  4. A bit of all three.

 

[CougarKing]

A potential gold mine for the ROK and western intelligence agencies? Or a plant sent full of false info?

680 News/Associated Press

Seoul: Senior North Korea military officer defects to South

    World

by Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press

Posted Apr 11, 2016 8:46 am EDT

SEOUL, South Korea – A colonel from North Korea’s military spy agency fled to South Korea last year in an unusual case of a senior-level defection, Seoul officials said Monday.

The announcement came three days after Seoul revealed that 13 North Koreans working at the same restaurant in a foreign country had defected to the South. It was the largest group defection since Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s young leader, took power in late 2011. South Korean media reported that the restaurant is located in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo.

Defections are a bitter source of contention between the rival Koreas, and Seoul doesn’t always make the high-profile cases public. Liberal lawmakers and media outlets have linked the recent defection announcements to what they say is an attempt by the conservative government of South Korean President Park Geun-hye to muster anti-Pyongyang votes ahead of this week’s parliamentary elections. The government denied this.

The colonel who defected worked for the North Korean military’s General Reconnaissance Bureau before fleeing to South Korea, according to Seoul’s Defence and Unification ministries. Both ministries refused to provide further details, including a motive for the defection.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Re-produced under the usual caveats of the Copyright Act. 

Article stating the North Koreans are getting ready to fire off another firecracker very, very soon.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Ready for Launch

It remains one of the biggest mysteries of the North Korean ballistic missile program.  Since 2010, the DPRK has ocasionally exhibited an intermediate range, road-mobile missile, nicknamed the Musudan. Leaked intelligence reporting also suggests the system (sometimes referred to as the BM-25) has been exported to Iran, giving that country another potential delivery platform for conventional or nuclear warheads.

Still, our knowledge of the Musudan--and its operational status in North Korea and Iran--remains limited, for a simple reason.  The BM-25 has never been flight-tested by Pyongyang or Tehran.  Some analysts believe the missiles displayed by Pyongyang are actually decoys or mock-ups, suggesting that development of the operational system has lagged behind.

But that intel gap may soon be filled.  Pentagon sources tell CBS News and the Associated Press that North Korea is expected to conduct a test launch of the missile, possibly within the next 12 hours: 

The missile in question is a Musadan, which is road mobile and has enough range to reach the Aleutians and Guam. It's never been tested before, so this is another step toward being able to threaten the United States with a nuclear weapon.

Friday, April 15 marks the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the "Great Leader" who rule North Korea from 1948 until his death in 1994.

Given Pyongyang's penchant for conducting military demonstrations on key historical dates, the Friday launch window is hardly surprising.  It's also clear that the Pentagon's prediction is based on more than Kim Il-Sung's birthdate.  Apparently, our intel systems have detected late-stage launch preparations which suggest the BM-25 will make its first flight in the next day or so.  Those preparations likely involve fueling of the missile; the Musudan (like many older systems) utilizes a liquid fuel; once the tanks have been filled, the missile must remain at the launch site because it lacks the structural strength to be safely transported to another location. 

A fueled BM-25 can remain in that configuration for up to several weeks.  Expectations for a near-term launch may be based on other indications, such as the expected arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (and other VIPs), or the establishment of airspace closure areas near the test site.  That location has not been disclosed by US officials but in the spring of 2013, two Musudans, mounted on their mobile launchers, were observed along the DPRK's east coast, raising speculation about a possible launch.  However, the missiles were eventually removed from that site, and the launch was never conducted. 

The expected Musudan test comes amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, and a recent string of provocations by Pyongyang.  North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test earlier this year; launched a long-range missile from the Sohae Space Center in February, and fired an ICBM engine at the same complex last week.  A successful BM-25 launch would be evidence of continued progress in the DPRK's efforts to field missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons against targets in the Far East and the CONUS.  Most experts still believe North Korea lacks the ability to produce a "miniaturized" nuclear warhead that can fit on the Musudan, or longer-range missiles like the KN-08 and KN-14, believed capable of hitting targets in the western United States. 

Mastering that technology is just a matter of time.  Technology sales to Iran help fund development efforts, and North Korea has long-established ties with Pakistan, which have helped it obtain (and advance) nuclear technology.  There are also questions about how much "help" Pyongyang may have received from Russia.  The BM-25 is based on the SS-N-6, an old, Soviet-era SLBM design which was designed to carry three nuclear warheads, and deployed on Yankee I class ballistic missile subs.  Moscow claims that nuclear technology was omitted from the blueprints and other technical data that was sold to Pyongyang.  Given the current level of technical competence in the DPRK, it wouldn't be difficult for North Korean scientists to develop a nuclear version of the Musudan. 
***
ADDENDUM:  Reporting from South Korean media, including the semi-official Yonhap news agency, indicates the BM-25 being prepped for launch was observed near the port city of Wonsan, on North Korea's east coast.

Article Link

It will be interesting to see what happens.       

 

[Retired AF Guy]

From BBC News: Missile test failed. Back to the drawing boards.

North Korea missile test fails, says South
15 April 2016

North Korea conducted a missile test off its east coast on Friday morning, but the launch appears to have failed, say US and South Korean officials.
The rocket has not yet been identified but is suspected to have been a previously untested "Musudan" medium-range ballistic missile.
The launch coincided with the birthday of North Korea's founding leader, Kim Il-sung. It also comes amid particularly high tension on the Korean peninsula.

South Korea's Yonhap national news agency quoted government sources as saying that the missile was a type of intermediate-range ballistic missile known as a Musudan, also called the BM-25.
North Korean forces were seen recently moving two such missiles.
The report said it would be the North's first Musudan test, and that it may have at least 50 more.
The Musudan is named after the village in North Korea's northeast where a launch pad is sited.
It has a range of about 3,000 km (1,800 miles), which extends to the US Army base on the Pacific island of Guam, but not as far as the mainland US.
The US said it had tracked the latest launch, but could also not confirm details,
"We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations," a State Department official said.
China also criticised what it called "the latest in a string of sabre-rattling that, if unchecked, will lead the country to nowhere," according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Seoul says that even though it failed, the test illustrates the determination of current leader Kim Jong-un to get the ability to strike the United States, but also the North's technological limitations.
The North has made a series of threats against the South and the US since the UN imposed some of its toughest ever sanctions on the country.
The move was a response to the North's fourth nuclear test in January and its launching of a satellite in February, both of which broke existing sanctions.
The North has also been angered by South Korea and the US conducting their largest ever joint military exercises, which wrap up next week.
In March, North Korea said it had developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles. However, experts cast doubt on the claims.
The birthday of North Korea's founder - Mr Kim's grandfather - is significant. Four years ago, the North tried to celebrate it with a similar missile launch, but that too failed.

Article Link includes overhead imagery, photos and graphics.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Someone's going to die then for this failure. 

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

His failure has just "tied" him to the next attempt  [.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Seeing as they do use anti-aircraft guns to execute high level prisoners, I wouldn't be the least surprised if they did gun tape the poor bastard to the next launch vehicle.

 

[CougarKing]

Another SLBM test launch:

CNN

North Korea launches missile from submarine, South Korea says
Don Melvin is a newsdesk editor for CNN in London
Jim Sciutto

North Korea has fired what is believed to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday.

The missile was fired at 6:30 p.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET), South Korean officials said, and appears to have flown for about 30 km (about 19 miles) -- well short of the 300 km (roughly 186 miles) that would be considered a successful test.
(...SNIPPED)

 

[Retired AF Guy]

More info on the submarine missile launch courtesy of Reuters..

Business | Sun Apr 24, 2016 4:48am EDT Related: WORLD, NORTH KOREA, AEROSPACE & DEFENSE
North Korea says submarine ballistic missile test 'great success'
SEOUL | BY JACK KIM AND JU-MIN PARK

Reuters

North Korea said on Sunday a submarine-launched ballistic missile test it conducted under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un had been a "great success" that provided "one more means for powerful nuclear attack".

The launch is the latest in a recent string of North Korean demonstrations of military might that began in January with its fourth nuclear test and included the launch of a long-range rocket the next month.

The tests have increased tension on the Korean peninsula, angered ally China and triggered new U.N. sanctions. Analysts say the tests could be part of a bid by Kim to bolster his position in the run-up to a rare ruling party congress in May.

Concern has been growing that North Korea could soon conduct another nuclear test.

North Korea fired the missile from a submarine off its east coast on Saturday and it flew for about 30 km (18 miles), a South Korean Defence Ministry official said late on Saturday.

South Korea was trying to determine whether the launch may have been a failure, for unspecified reasons, the official said.

The North's official news agency KCNA said the test-firing was "another great success," without disclosing the date and place of the launch, which it said was guided by leader Kim.

"The successful test-fire would help remarkably bolster the underwater operational capability of the KPA navy, he said, adding that it is now capable of hitting the heads of the South Korean puppet forces and the U.S. imperialists any time as it pleases," it said, citing Kim. KPA refers to the North's military.

North Korean state media published a photograph of Kim watching the missile breaching the sea. A second showed the missile flying into the air.

The missile was powered by a solid fuel engine, KCNA said, which if true would mark a significant advance in North Korea's submarine-launched missile technology, and be a "huge leap in ambition", according to Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

The U.S. Strategic Command said it had detected and tracked the launch and it did not pose a threat to North America.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said launches using ballistic missile technology were "a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions."

North Korea is banned from nuclear tests and activities that use such technology under U.N. sanctions dating to 2006 and most recently adopted in March. But it has pushed ahead with work to miniaturize a nuclear warhead and develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

FIRST CONGRESS IN 36 YEARS

France on Saturday called on the European Union to unilaterally adopt additional sanctions against North Korea if the missile launch was confirmed.

North Korea first attempted to launch a submarine-based missile last year.

However, a series of test launches were believed to have failed, and its state media earlier carried footage that appeared to have been edited to fake success, according to experts who have seen the visuals.

North Korea will hold a congress of its ruling Workers' Party in early May for the first time in 36 years, at which Kim is expected to formally declare his country a strong military power and a nuclear state.

North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Su Yong, told the Associated Press in New York on Saturday that his country was ready to halt nuclear tests if the United States suspended military exercises with South Korea.

North Korea made that demand in January after its nuclear test.

Satellite images show North Korea may have resumed tunnel excavation at its main nuclear test site, similar to activity seen before the January test, a U.S. North Korea monitoring website reported last week.

South Korea and the United States, as well as experts, believe the North is working to develop a submarine-launched ballistic missile system and an ICBM putting the mainland United States within range.

(Additional reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Bill Trott, Robert Birsel)

Article Link includes photos of launch.

 

[The Bread Guy]

More info on the submarine missile launch courtesy of Reuters ...

... and a few photos from the N.Korean Info-machine (source)- feel free to caption as you see fit  ;D

 

[jollyjacktar]

The minions behind young-un seem rather relieved the shoot was a success.

 

[tomahawk6]

It was a partial success as they did get the missile launched,but there was an engine failure and it crashed after a 30k flight.

 

[CougarKing]

Pyongyang influenced by Beijing's own official "No First Use" nuke weapons policy?

Associated Press

Kim Jong Un says Pyongyang won't use nukes first

Eric Talmadge, The Associated Press
May 7, 2016


PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said during a critical ruling party congress that his country will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is invaded, state media reported Sunday.

Kim also said he is ready to improve ties with "hostile" nations in a diplomatic overture in the face of international pressure over its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. He also called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust between them and urged the United States to stay away from inter-Korean issues, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[tomahawk6]

Pyongyang influenced by Beijing's own official "No First Use" nuke weapons policy?

Associated Press

Frankly you cant believe any promises Comrade Kim offers.