SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Kim Jong Un inspects a defense detachment in a photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on May 5. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)
Amid Escalating Tensions, North Korea Accuses CIA of Assassination Plot
Statement released Friday says 2014 plot involved 'biochemical agents'
May 05, 2017
In a potential sign of escalating tensions, North Korea has accused the United States and South Korea of having conspired to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong-un, with "biochemical agents."
The accusation was made Friday by North Korea's Ministry of State Security in a lengthy statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. It says the "recently uncovered" plot was hatched in 2014 by the CIA and South Korea's National Intelligence Agency--"hotbed of evils in the world"--who had bribed and "ideologically corrupted" a North Korean citizen.
That citizen, identified only as Kim, was allegedly working in Russia in the timber industry. The Washington Post writes that he
was supposed to target the "supreme leadership" at a public event or military parade, using "bomb terrorism" involving "biochemical substances including radioactive substance and nano-poisonous substance," [the statement] said.
"Criminals going hell-bent to realize such a pipe dream cannot survive on this land even a moment," the statement said, and denounced the agencies as "U.S. imperialists and the puppet clique."
The Ministry of State Security said it will "ferret out and mercilessly destroy" the "terrorists" in the intelligence agencies, the Associated Presswrites.
The Guardian notes that "the CIA's long history of attempting covert assassinations of political leaders across the world is notorious," but, as with "other North Korean claims, the allegation that the CIA plotted to assassinate Kim is impossible to verify. Media reports about the regime are tightly controlled by the state's propaganda machinery and often designed merely to burnish the leader's reputation."
Still, as AP describes it, the new accusation marks a departure from the frequent bluster from Pyongyang directed at the U.S., as it "was unusual in its detail."
It comes a day after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to impose fresh sanctions against North Korea. The bill targets the North Korea's shipping industry and "convict, forced, or indentured labor."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In a potential sign of escalating tensions, North Korea has accused the United States and South Korea of having conspired to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong-un, with "biochemical agents."
The accusation was made Friday by North Korea's Ministry of State Security in a lengthy statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. It says the "recently uncovered" plot was hatched in 2014 by the CIA and South Korea's National Intelligence Agency--"hotbed of evils in the world"--who had bribed and "ideologically corrupted" a North Korean citizen.
That citizen, identified only as Kim, was allegedly working in Russia in the timber industry. The Washington Post writes that he
was supposed to target the "supreme leadership" at a public event or military parade, using "bomb terrorism" involving "biochemical substances including radioactive substance and nano-poisonous substance," [the statement] said.
"Criminals going hell-bent to realize such a pipe dream cannot survive on this land even a moment," the statement said, and denounced the agencies as "U.S. imperialists and the puppet clique."
The Ministry of State Security said it will "ferret out and mercilessly destroy" the "terrorists" in the intelligence agencies, the Associated Presswrites.
The Guardian notes that "the CIA's long history of attempting covert assassinations of political leaders across the world is notorious," but, as with "other North Korean claims, the allegation that the CIA plotted to assassinate Kim is impossible to verify. Media reports about the regime are tightly controlled by the state's propaganda machinery and often designed merely to burnish the leader's reputation."
Still, as AP describes it, the new accusation marks a departure from the frequent bluster from Pyongyang directed at the U.S., as it "was unusual in its detail."
It comes a day after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to impose fresh sanctions against North Korea. The bill targets the North Korea's shipping industry and "convict, forced, or indentured labor."
In a potential sign of escalating tensions, North Korea has accused the United States and South Korea of having conspired to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong-un, with "biochemical agents."
The accusation was made Friday by North Korea's Ministry of State Security in a lengthy statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. It says the "recently uncovered" plot was hatched in 2014 by the CIA and South Korea's National Intelligence Agency--"hotbed of evils in the world"--who had bribed and "ideologically corrupted" a North Korean citizen.
That citizen, identified only as Kim, was allegedly working in Russia in the timber industry. The Washington Post writes that he
was supposed to target the "supreme leadership" at a public event or military parade, using "bomb terrorism" involving "biochemical substances including radioactive substance and nano-poisonous substance," [the statement] said.
"Criminals going hell-bent to realize such a pipe dream cannot survive on this land even a moment," the statement said, and denounced the agencies as "U.S. imperialists and the puppet clique."
The Ministry of State Security said it will "ferret out and mercilessly destroy" the "terrorists" in the intelligence agencies, the Associated Presswrites.
The Guardian notes that "the CIA's long history of attempting covert assassinations of political leaders across the world is notorious," but, as with "other North Korean claims, the allegation that the CIA plotted to assassinate Kim is impossible to verify. Media reports about the regime are tightly controlled by the state's propaganda machinery and often designed merely to burnish the leader's reputation."
Still, as AP describes it, the new accusation marks a departure from the frequent bluster from Pyongyang directed at the U.S., as it "was unusual in its detail."
It comes a day after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation to impose fresh sanctions against North Korea. The bill targets the North Korea's shipping industry and "convict, forced, or indentured labor."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.