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North Korean Security Believes Ryongchon Explosion an Assassination Attempt(Cellphones now banned)
Chosun Ilbo ^ | 05/24/04 | Kang Chol-hwan

Posted on 05/25/2004 7:29:57 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

North Korean Security Believes Ryongchon Explosion an Assassination Attempt

According to a source, North Korea's State Safety & Security Agency concluded that the massive explosion that occurred in the North Korean city of Ryongchon on April 22 had been conspired by anti-North Korean government forces to harm North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. A North Korean official who was recently on his business trip to China said, “The North Korean National Security Agency has investigated the incident since it took place and concluded that rebellious forces had plotted the explosions targeting the exclusive train of Kim Jong-il. The security agency, in particular, gained evidence that cell phones had been used in triggering the explosion and reported to the North Korean leader that the use of cell phones should be banned for the sake of the leader’s safety, the official said.

Accordingly, it was learned that North Korea prohibited the use of cell phones across the nation on May 19.

An officer working with a North Korean border guard unit, which is in charge of guarding the border area between the North and China, said in a phone call with this writer that the use of cell phones was banned in Pyongyang first on May 19, and then prohibited in other regions on May 20.

A North Korea defector who crossed the border a few days ago said, “It doesn’t seem to be a temporary measure, because even handsets have been conscripted following the cell phone use ban.” “The Postal Service, which manages the cell phone business, has unilaterally conscripted handsets without offering any compensations. It's a typical example of a dictatorial state,” the defector pointed out.

North Korea began to use European-type GSM phones in August 2002 and started cell phone service in Najin and Sunbong, the North Korean special economic areas, starting November that year. However, in areas bordering China, an increasing number of North Korean people have already used cell phones with handsets made in China since the end of 1990s.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: assassination; attempt; boom; canyouhearmenow; cellphonejihad; cellphones; explosion; kimjongchol; kimjongil; nkorea; nktrainwreck; northkorea; poisonedchopsticks; ryongchon
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

"just turn off the towers."

Best point on this thread.


61 posted on 05/25/2004 10:03:39 AM PDT by George from New England
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To: Dog

Well. there always is at some point or another.

Even the Wehrmacht's high command saw the light but by then the impetus to unconditional surrender was overwhelming.

Huge news, tho!


62 posted on 05/25/2004 10:10:03 AM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: swarthyguy

Couple Theorys Here:

A) We heard about the scud missile shipment or kimjongs train route (from our big ship in the pacific listening to all air coms)


B) Nextel uses satellites in space (thats how 2 way radio works).... no towers


63 posted on 05/25/2004 10:19:31 AM PDT by lancium
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To: BenLurkin

Maybe it wasn't an attempt, but the locals using the idea to serve political expediencies.


64 posted on 05/25/2004 10:19:59 AM PDT by Shermy
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To: lancium

Who knows what toys our boys have? No more than a reasoned feeling, but IMO the entire worldwidecomms network is virtually transparent to us, perhaps not all the time or with total comprehensiveness, but more likely for specific, targeted, chronologically sensitive applications.


65 posted on 05/25/2004 10:26:18 AM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: Flint
Who says they have not done it to some extent. Loose lips.
66 posted on 05/25/2004 10:28:54 AM PDT by Veloxherc (To go up pull back, to go down pull back all the way.)
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To: Larry Lucido

Anything is possible, depending on how much work you want to put into it. Analog phones are just FM radios, so, depening on the phone you use, a scanner could recieve a signal and close a relay to set off a bomb. GSM would be harder, but if you could find an otherwise unused GSM frequency band in the area, you could do a very crude radio detonator with a GSM handset. Personally, given the blast radius, I'd prefer the high power output of an analog handset.

The bottom line is, though, for a sploit as big as this, you could have a radio custom built. That was a pantload of explosives, and even if they came from a Chinese supplier to Wal Mart, had to cost more than a big bag of tube socks.


67 posted on 05/25/2004 10:45:04 AM PDT by eno_ (Freedom Lite - it's almost worth defending)
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To: lancium
Nextel uses satellites in space (thats how 2 way radio works).... no towers

Nextel PTT is digital trunked radio, which is, in turn, pretty close to a phone system - it has call setup, switches, etc. It most certainly does use terrestrial radio transcievers.

68 posted on 05/25/2004 10:48:58 AM PDT by eno_ (Freedom Lite - it's almost worth defending)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

That is such an interesting picture. notice how each leader's attache intently studies the other leader. there is some high end psychological profiling being done here.


69 posted on 05/25/2004 10:52:52 AM PDT by kinghorse
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Is there a newspaper in the photo for confirmation?


70 posted on 05/25/2004 11:14:42 AM PDT by sathers
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To: TigerLikesRooster

I can't even imagine Koreans without cell phones.


71 posted on 05/25/2004 11:26:52 AM PDT by keats5
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Possible report of B2 taking off from whiteman AFB aprox. 12-16 hours before the report of the explosion was out?

Another thing we have to look at is the size and crater of the explosion. Everyone who knows bombs looks at the pics and thinks either daisy cutter or MOAB. Whats the weight of a MOAB 21-27,000lb? The B2's max payload is 40,000 could they have modified the Spirit to drop these yet? Because last time cutters were dropped was tora bora and they were dropped from c-130's.


72 posted on 05/25/2004 11:34:49 AM PDT by miliantnutcase
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Yes. Thanks


73 posted on 05/25/2004 11:56:50 AM PDT by nuconvert ("America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins." ( Azadi baraye Iran)
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To: NeonKnight

That would depend on the technical savy of the bomber.


74 posted on 05/25/2004 12:33:42 PM PDT by BJClinton
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To: kinghorse

I noticed that also....I wonder if the aide of the Japanese President is an intel guy.


75 posted on 05/25/2004 12:39:25 PM PDT by Dog (In Memory of Pat Tillman ---- ---- ---- American Hero.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster; tallhappy; Dog
tallhappy:   Assasination attempt by whom?

TigerLikesRooster:   They are vague about it, aren't they?

From the article:

"The North Korean National Security Agency has investigated the incident since it took place and concluded that rebellious forces had plotted the explosions targeting the exclusive train of Kim Jong-il."
The article's source appears to be identifying the origin of the attack as coming from within the NK government itself and more specifically from within their own armed forces. People from outside the nation would not be labeled "rebellious" and neither private citizens nor ordinary government officials of the country would be labeled "forces".

--Boot Hill

76 posted on 05/25/2004 12:56:48 PM PDT by Boot Hill (America...thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
"For this article, there is no corresponding article in Korean. They wrote the English version first. I wonder why."

That level of keen insight tells me as much about you as it does about the article!

--Boot Hill

77 posted on 05/25/2004 1:01:04 PM PDT by Boot Hill (America...thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Thanks for posting the picture confirming that Kim Jong-il survived the April assassination attempt.

--Boot Hill

78 posted on 05/25/2004 1:05:04 PM PDT by Boot Hill (America...thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.)
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To: kinghorse
notice how each leader's attache intently studies the other leader.

I believe those are translators looking at the lips of the other leader to ensure they pick-up every word...

79 posted on 05/25/2004 1:07:40 PM PDT by mwilli20 (Member - Intl. Organization for Prevention of Tagline Abuse)
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To: mwilli20

ok thanks. just caught the expressions and was intrigued.


80 posted on 05/25/2004 1:10:56 PM PDT by kinghorse
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