Kim Jong Un's half brother murdered

[CaptainCrunch]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-no...-idUSKBN15T1DN

I wonder if Kim Jong Un sat in a chair and petted a pure white cat while waiting for the news.

"The deceased ... felt like someone grabbed or held his face from behind," Fadzil said. "He felt dizzy, so he asked for help at the ... counter of KLIA."
Kim was taken to an airport clinic where he still felt unwell, and it was decided to take him to hospital. He died in the ambulance on the way to Putrajaya Hospital, Fadzil added.
South Korea's TV Chosun, a cable-TV network, reported that Kim had been poisoned with a needle by two women believed to be North Korean operatives who fled in a taxi and were at large, citing multiple South Korean government sources.
Reuters could not confirm those details.

[REDVAN]

This is some North Korean level spy stuff!

Kim is taking out any potential rivals or what?

[CaptainCrunch]

Probably saw his brother as a threat. I haven't followed much of North Korea's internal politics in a while, but there are two factions, the Military and North Korea's security services. Both fighting for Un's love. I would expect that the losing side would hedge their bet with another successor.

[CroFlames]

I can't believe the military there doesn't stage a coup and install their own guy to be leader. Why grovel at the feet of this nincompoop?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I can't believe the military there doesn't stage a coup and install their own guy to be leader. Why grovel at the feet of this nincompoop?

Its not that simple. The military is fully infiltrated by the internal security services. So there's a danger of plotting with your fellow solders if you don't know who's compromised. As well, a lot of those generals have become incredibly rich due to the Kim family creating a whole Military industrial complex based around enriching the generals in charge.

There is also very little forgiveness by the state for traitors so there's a certain fear of making that move.

Also if you read books by defectors from NK the Kim family is still incredibly popular because of state indoctrination, so there's probably a feeling that if you depose the Kim family you might trigger an uprising.

the Intelligence service doesn't necessarily fear the Military, however they are wary of making any kind of move because of where the guns are.

the Kim's are very good at stirring the pot between the two factions which keeps them both off balance and suspicious.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

This is some North Korean level spy stuff!

Kim is taking out any potential rivals or what?

Umm....didn't you read the article. There was a press release coming from the North Koreans that said they didn't do it, and it was actually the South Koreans who were responsible.

Some people really need to work on their reading comprehension...jeesh.

[PepsiFree]

Un-believable

[DuffMan]

Kim Jung Un believable

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Kim Jung Un believable

[blankall]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Un-believable

I don't actually find it all that unbelievable. Kim-Jung-Un did have his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, executed a few years ago. It's also been reported that Jang Song-thaek's family is being executed one by one.

This seems to be par for the course.

As for the posts about he military, apparently that's exactly what's going on. Jang Song-thaek and other family members have closer ties to the military and want to overthrow Kim-Jung-Un. The current regime obviously doesn't like that, and the result is any family member with ties to the military being picked off.

It sounds like a lot of people realize that the Kim-Jung-Un power structure is a gong show, and there's no way for N. Korea to progress under it. It doesn't even uphold the communist or military values it was founded on.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by blankall

I don't actually find it all that unbelievable. Kim-Jung-Un did have his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, executed a few years ago. It's also been reported that Jang Song-thaek's family is being executed one by one.

Jong-Un has been particularly ruthless with taking out opponents. I recall one guy getting executed by Anti Aircraft gun and another by a pack of dogs. You do not take anyone out like that unless you are trying to send a message.

Two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry -- possibly minister -- was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kim’s leadership, it said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-joongang-says

[CaptainCrunch]

IIRC the dogs won was false. but the anti-aircraft one was done.

I remember the debate and it even happen here after his dad died and Un came to power. A lot of people were convinced that because Un was young that he would open things up and have a somewhat Liberal influence.

But this kid was spoiled and indulged from the day he was born. He was tutored using examples of how his father held onto power.

I will state that his father was ruthless and ambitious and cared more about acquiring power and executing power then the State itself. But he was also intelligent and strategic and knew when to back off and when to put on pressure. He also knew how to effectively play the game with the different factions and when to slap them down.

I don't think that Un is anywhere near as smart as his father, but he's far more spoiled then his father, and he's more concerned with maintaining his wealth and power then anything else and because of that he's impulsive and not very strategic.

However if the collapse comes you have to wonder wich of the three factions takes power. Intelligence, the military or a very strong Chinese favored faction.

But if I'm a bullet manufacturer sales could be way up in the coming years.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its not that simple. The military is fully infiltrated by the internal security services. So there's a danger of plotting with your fellow solders if you don't know who's compromised. As well, a lot of those generals have become incredibly rich due to the Kim family creating a whole Military industrial complex based around enriching the generals in charge.

There is also very little forgiveness by the state for traitors so there's a certain fear of making that move.

Also if you read books by defectors from NK the Kim family is still incredibly popular because of state indoctrination, so there's probably a feeling that if you depose the Kim family you might trigger an uprising.

the Intelligence service doesn't necessarily fear the Military, however they are wary of making any kind of move because of where the guns are.

the Kim's are very good at stirring the pot between the two factions which keeps them both off balance and suspicious.

Don't some of them also believe his grandfather was diety?

Not to mentioned that the Kim dynasty doesn't just punish the perpetrator, but they also punish their family line for generations.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

IIRC the dogs won was false. but the anti-aircraft one was done.

I remember the debate and it even happen here after his dad died and Un came to power. A lot of people were convinced that because Un was young that he would open things up and have a somewhat Liberal influence.

But this kid was spoiled and indulged from the day he was born. He was tutored using examples of how his father held onto power.

I will state that his father was ruthless and ambitious and cared more about acquiring power and executing power then the State itself. But he was also intelligent and strategic and knew when to back off and when to put on pressure. He also knew how to effectively play the game with the different factions and when to slap them down.

I don't think that Un is anywhere near as smart as his father, but he's far more spoiled then his father, and he's more concerned with maintaining his wealth and power then anything else and because of that he's impulsive and not very strategic.

However if the collapse comes you have to wonder wich of the three factions takes power. Intelligence, the military or a very strong Chinese favored faction.

But if I'm a bullet manufacturer sales could be way up in the coming years.

If open conflict erupted, my money would be on the Chinese backed faction. However, the country might be so saturated with weapons and ammunition already that the Chinese supplying additional weapons may have little influence.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Don't some of them also believe his grandfather was diety?

Not to mentioned that the Kim dynasty doesn't just punish the perpetrator, but they also punish their family line for generations.

Yes they also believe that Kim Jong Il was born on a sacred mountain, which wasn't true he was born in a hospital in China.

Also yes, I think its 3 generations of punishment for the family of a traitor. But I haven't read anything on North Korea in a while and my memory is foggy.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by blankall

If open conflict erupted, my money would be on the Chinese backed faction. However, the country might be so saturated with weapons and ammunition already that the Chinese supplying additional weapons may have little influence.

I don't know. If NK has a functional nuclear weapon. And it can be artillary fired. China might be limited in terms of influencing.

When you look at these nations that crumble, its usually a small faction of the military that seizes power then convinces the rest of the military to back the winner.

I kind of wonder if China would be interested in absorbing North Korea, they'd get access to some good mineral rights, however they would also have to feed and clothe a entire nation.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I don't know. If NK has a functional nuclear weapon. And it can be artillary fired. China might be limited in terms of influencing.

When you look at these nations that crumble, its usually a small faction of the military that seizes power then convinces the rest of the military to back the winner.

I kind of wonder if China would be interested in absorbing North Korea, they'd get access to some good mineral rights, however they would also have to feed and clothe a entire nation.

Not that I see it happening, but absorbing 25 million N. Koreans, wouldn't be all that big of a deal for China and its 1.4ish billion people. China has relocated people on mass of similar numbers in the past. It wouldn't be any different than the peasant urbanization projects they have ongoing. China also has multiple ghost cities that need to be filled with workers willing to work for peanuts. Being a poor Chinese urban peasant would be a huge upgrade from starving North Korean at this point.

[CaptainCrunch]

If it did happen, and I'm just playing a hypothetical. But I would think that the US, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea would poop bricks. Its one thing to theorize about fighting a North Korean army using old weapons and soldiers who are literally starving to death, and a navy that could probably be sunk by a West Edmonton mall sub at this point.

And a technologically advanced, well trained military that's going through a major naval build up in North Korea.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

If it did happen, and I'm just playing a hypothetical. But I would think that the US, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea would poop bricks. Its one thing to theorize about fighting a North Korean army using old weapons and soldiers who are literally starving to death, and a navy that could probably be sunk by a West Edmonton mall sub at this point.

And a technologically advanced, well trained military that's going through a major naval build up in North Korea.

Not really different than what's going on in in Eastern/Central Europe with Russia. There's really not much the West could do about it, as they aren't going to war with China.

From a South Korean perspective, many may actually prefer that situation. You'd have South Korea controlled by a stable government that won't risk open war with the USA, as opposed to the current regime, which seems to have nothing to lose.

[Chell_King]

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