A close confidant of Kim Jong-Il defects to America

Yonhap News via Chosun Ilbo ^ | 05/17/03 | N/A

[TigerLikesRooster]

/start my translation

A close confidant of Kim Jong-Il defects to U.S.

/snip

Kil Jae-Gyung, a close confidant of the General Secretary of N. Korean Worker's Party, Kim Jong-Il, defected to U.S. recently. His position is a deputy depratment chief of General Secretariat's Clerk's Office, the S. Korean equivalent of the Office of Presidential Secretaries.

A diplomatic source in Seoul disclosed on 17th (of May, 2003), "Deputy Department Chief Kil Jae-Gyung and two others requested a political asylum to U.S. while staying at a third country. They are now at a safe location."

The source added, "We cannot disclose their exact location now. But since they request the asylum to U.S., it is natural that they are in U.S. or a place under U.S. administration."

Asked about the motive of his defection, the source added, "He and his team were directing the drug smuggling operation using the N. Korean freighter Pong-Su which was raided by Australian authorities on 20th of the last month, carrying 50 kg of heroin worth 50 million dollars. When the ship was raided, he fear a punishment from Kim Jong-Il and decided to defect."

/snip

The source went on to say, "Recently defections of N. Korean high-ranking figures are suddenly on the rise. Yom Jin-Chul, the son of Yom Ki-Soon, the First Deputy Chief of Organization Instruction Department of (N. Korean) Worker's Party, also defected not long ago while on a business trip to a third country."

/snip

The source also added, "A N. Korean navy admiral, who has detailed knowledge of N. Korean navy's capacity, is among those who defected along with Dr. Kyoung Won-Ha (the father of N. Korean nukes) last February.

/end my translation

[TigerLikesRooster]

Dubya has been hitting Kim Jong-Il hard.

According to local KBS evening News, Mr. Kil Jae-Kyung manages Kim Jong-Il's slush funds and is in charge of running N. Korea's drug smuggling operations.

According to a S. Korean daily, the German human right activist Norbert Vollertsen also disclosed in an interview with VOA that their group want to operate a passenger ship in an international waters so that they can receive N. Korean refugees escaping by sea.

A lot of action going on quietly in recent days. A part of the non-military solution to N. Korean nuke crisis.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[sam_paine]

Dubya has been hitting Kim Jong-Il hard.

That's not true. The news is full of headlines about Democratic exhortations that W has been ignoring Korea in favor of Iraq, or something.

It said so. In papers and stuff. Really.

[Carry_Okie]

Many thanks. Fine work.

One wonders if some are defecting because they want to live.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

This is one way I didn't expect us to take Kim out. I knew he was different problem than Iraq and needed a different solution but I thought it would be an economic solution (tipping there economy the rest of the way over on it's side).

This is definitely being promoted by our intel. services.

Sort of a reverse of their old negotiating ploy. Every day Kim comes to the table and looks up to see one less person sitting there with him.

[Maigret]

Thanks for an important post.

[TigerLikesRooster]

RE #5

I think that the economic part is coming soon. In addition to this defection project, Bush admin would try to shut off all money conduits to N. Korea. Drug, missile sales, and counterfeit currencies. And cash injection from pro-North ethic Koreans in Japan. They may even try to shut off N. Korea's overseas holdings and bank accounts. They are all coming soon. That is my take.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I will be in the North/South Korean DMZ on 31 May or so. Expecting a JSA tour and debrief at that time. I'll hope to post a short report on FR about it.

Looks like the guy that they got out that came over the fence has the locations of many of the deep bunkers. Dictator Kim Jong il (AKA "Yo Chia Head the Short-Donged One") is going to have a hard time hiding our and going deep to avoid US Bunker Busters, FAEs and MOABs.

There is a definite destabilization project underway, too. Good observations.

[Just mythoughts]

Maybe this is why bjclinton hasn't been promoting N. Korea lately.

For a while there he was their pitch man saying all they wanted was "RESPECT".

[Mamzelle]

Please to ping.

Would be interested, also, to know if it has sunk in that a burden falls on the people of South Korea.

[delapaz]

this is an economic solution. Sounds to me like this latest guy was in charge of getting hard currency for the regime through drugs. his defection = no more hard currency via that source.

[Dixie Mom]

Did you read the report in the Australian press last month about a covert mission to facilitate the defection of N. Korean scientists and military leaders?  It was reported to be a plan code-named, "Operation Weasel" When it was reported, it was strongly denied by everyone involved, but this story makes it sound like it is for real and ongoing.

[Mister Baredog]

"Recently defections of N. Korean high-ranking figures are suddenly on the rise.

Sounds like the PLAN is working, "THE AXIS OF EVIL" may just turn out to be words that end up changing the world more than ANYONE might have thought, STRATEGERY at its best.

[Teacher317]

Thank you for the translator work! It's great to know that we're getting more niformation than CNNABCNBCCBS would ever possibly give!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Check this out. Cut and paste to your browser. It would help if you have good bandwith. Japanese TV last night with a story on this important North Korean defector, including a photograph of him. (TBS TV)

http://news.tbs.co.jp/asx/news750299_7.asx

[OldFriend]

Wasn't it just last year that the Chinese government was turning back North Koreans who were seeking asylum in the Chinese embassy?

[MississippiMan]

A kilo of heroine is worth $1MM? OOOF.

MM

[Tunehead54]

I don't know what a kilo's worth of a "heroine" goes for - prolly depends on which part ;) but you're right that's $1000.00 a gram (for the heroin)!

---

[MississippiMan]

OOOF. Heroine should be heroin. OOOF. Man, I hate it when I do stupid stuff in the written word.

MM

[Carry_Okie]

Wasn't it just last year that the Chinese government was turning back North Koreans who were seeking asylum in the Chinese embassy?

Yup, they send them back to a certain death, an effective deterrant to attempted crossings.