Le dernier ordre de Kim Jong-il publié par un quotidien nord-coréen...

Selon le quotidien officiel nord-coréen Rodong Sinmun, Kim Jong-il a peu avant sa mort donné des ordres qui ont été exécutés le lendemain par son fils Kim Jong-un, sa première tâche accomplie en tant que nouveau leader.

Le quotidien a publié dimanche un article signalant que le 16 décembre peu après 21 heures, le leader défunt avait signé l'ordre pour le gouvernement de fournir de la morue et des harengs aux résidents de P'yongyang. Les autorités nord-coréennes ont annoncé que M. Kim était mort le matin du 17 décembre.

Des observateurs en Corée du Sud pensent que le leader pourrait être décédé plus tôt que ne le laisse entendre le communiqué officiel.

L'article s'efforce, à leur avis, de réfuter de tels arguments et souligne que Kim Jong-il avait travaillé dur pour la population jusqu'à ses tout derniers moments.
(Radio Japon international, le 26-12-2011)

North Korea power-behind-throne emerges...

The uncle of North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong-un, has been shown on state television at his nephew's side wearing a military uniform, suggesting a key position.



Jang Song-taek had been expected to play a major part in smoothing the transfer of power to Kim Jong-un from his father, Kim Jong-il who died last weekend.



It's believed to be the first timeJang was shown in uniform. He's been more closely associated with the Communist party.



A Seoul official familiar with North Korean affairs said his appearance suggests that Jang has secured a key role in the North's powerful military, which has pledged its allegiance to Kim Jong-un.
(Radio Canada International, 2011-12-26)

Kim Jong Il assassinated in military coup ?

Kim Jong Il avoided flying because he feared aerial assassination. Instead, Kim traveled by train and only within North Korea and on rare occasions to China and Russia. However, it may have been during a train trip that Kim was assassinated.

WMR's well-placed Asian sources have reported that Kim Jong Il died as the result of an assassination plot by senior members of the North Korean military. As WMR reported on July 8, 2010, Kim narrowly escaped an assassination on April 22, 2004, when a massive explosion tore through the train station in Ryongchon, North Korea. The explosion destroyed 40 percent of the town and had the fingerprints of an Israeli intelligence operation. It was later discovered that a rigged cell phone triggered the blast, which also killed a dozen Syrian missile technicians working for the Syrian Center for Scientific Research were also killed in the blast. The Syrians were said to have been receiving training on the North Korean Scud C and D missiles that North Korea had sold to Syria.

Kim's train had just transited through Ryongchon a few hours before the explosion en route to Pyongyang from a trip to China.

North Korea's UN ambassador claimed the explosion was caused by two train cars full of dynamite and was an accident. However, it was unusual for a North Korean official to admit that dynamite was allowed anywhere near the Ryongchon train station during the same time the Dear Leader was transiting through the town. On May 24, 2004, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo reported what a North Korean official who was visiting China said about the explosion. The official 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." North Korean security agents discovered the remnants of a cell phone with adhesive tape attached to it at the blast scene. The Mossad pioneered the use of cell phones in triggering explosions.

The reporting by North Korea's official state media on Kim's death was unusual. It said he died while on a train visit. However, satellite photos show that Kim's special train never left Pyongyang over the weekend. Kim's death was reported on Saturday, December 17. The official state media reported that Kim died from a heart attack. State media reported that Kim died from a "combination of severe acute myocardial infarction and serious renal shock while on board a field train."



MORE ON NEWSFOLLOWUP...

North Korea changes communication frequencies to avoid tapping...

North Korea is reportedly changing its communication frequencies and encryption system to prevent wiretapping after South Korean media reported that Kim Jong-un had issued his first order to the military.

A South Korean military official said collecting classified intelligence on North Korea became difficult after domestic reports of the special order.

South Korean media reported earlier this week that Kim Jong-un on December 19th ordered North Korean troops to stop training and return to base before the announcement of the death of his father Kim Jong-il.

The official said North Korea likely changed their communication frequency and codes as additional intelligence could not be gathered from the same communication line the first order was given through.

The North Korean military communicates entirely through code for security purposes. The South Korean military believes that the first order from the junior Kim was encrypted and sent via a wireless frequency early on December 19th.
(KBS World Radio, 2011-12-24)

Kim Jong-un issues 1st military order on Dec 19th...

Kim Jong Un, the heir apparent and son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, reportedly issued his first military order just before his father's death was announced.

South Korean government officials said that Kim Jong Un ordered all military units to stop military exercises and return to their bases shortly before noon on December 19th.

The North Korean military had been conducting annual drills on that day. At around 8:30 AM, two short-range missiles were launched toward the Sea of Japan from a base on North Korea's eastern coast.

The military cancelled another test launch scheduled for the afternoon and soldiers returned to their bases after Kim Jong Un's order was issued.

South Korean military officials have concluded that there was no connection between the missile launch in the morning and the late North Korean leader's death.

Kim Jong Un became a four-star-general in September 2010.

South Korean government officials view Kim's order as a concrete sign that he has complete control over the military, and an indication that he is poised to formally become the military's top commander.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2011-12-21)

Selon l'ancien cuisinier de Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un est capable de promouvoir la réforme...

Selon un ancien chef cuisinier du leader nord-coréen défunt Kim Jong-il, son fils et successeur apparent, Kim Jong-un est capable de promouvoir la réforme et une politique des portes ouvertes.

Dans une interview accordée lundi à la NHK, Kenji Fujimoto a déclaré que le jeune Kim possédait des qualités de leader et avait le don d'attirer les gens depuis son enfance.

M. Fujimoto a expliqué avoir travaillé comme chef pour Kim Jong-il pendant 13 ans jusqu'en 2001, et avoir été en contact étroit avec le fils du leader entre l'âge de 7 et 18 ans.

M. Fujimoto a ajouté qu'il avait passé plus de cinq heures à discuter avec Kim Jong-un, qui avait alors 17 ans, à bord d'un train en route pour Pyongyang en 2000. Le jeune homme aurait alors reconnu que l'économie nord-coréenne avait pris du retard. Il aurait dit que son pays devait suivre l'exemple de son voisin chinois, qui avait adopté une politique de réforme et de portes ouvertes.

Le fils du leader défunt, a conclu M. Fujimoto, est capable de promouvoir une telle politique, car il avait seulement 17 ans au moment où il a fait ces remarques.
(Radio Japon international, le 21-12-2011)

North Korea orders foreigners to leave...

A Japanese daily reports North Korea is demanding that foreigners remain at their homes or leave the communist country in the wake of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death.

Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun quoted Chinese people who frequently visit North Korea as saying the North’s government is demanding that foreigners leave.

A Chinese student studying in P'yongyang said North Korean professors ordered Chinese and Russian students to avoid going out of their residences.

The Japanese daily said that North Korean authorities apparently want to block any contact between foreigners and North Korean people due to concerns that the internal situation in the North could be revealed to the outside world.
(KBS World Radio, 2011-12-21)

Intel, security chiefs criticized for missing information on Kim’s death...

Anchor: On the day North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is reported to have died, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was visiting Japan with no knowledge about the death of Kim. The National Assembly has since grilled the nation's defense and intelligence authorities over how they missed such crucial information. Our Kim Soyon has more.

Report: South Korea’s National Intelligence Service learned of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death only after North Korean state-run media made the official announcement on Monday.

Following the National Assembly Intelligence Committee meeting on Tuesday, committee lawmakers cited National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon as saying that only a few close aides to the North Korean leader were aware of his death.

The intelligence chief was also cited as saying at the closed session that he believes other neighboring countries, including China, were in a similar position. Won said, theoretically, China learned about the death after the North’s official announcement as well. He added there were signs indicating Beijing could have detected the situation prior to the announcement, but the NIS has yet to confirm it. He also said Japan and Russia didn’t know about the situation until the North’s announcement.

A lawmaker said if the NIS had had human intelligence in the North, it could have found out about Kim’s death in advance. He charged that the NIS couldn’t utilize human intelligence assets due to aggravated inter-Korean ties. But Won denied the charges.

During an Assembly Defense Committee meeting, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin was also grilled on the issue. The defense chief acknowledged that he only learned of Kim’s death after watching the news. He promised to beef up defense intelligence capabilities while saying that it is extremely difficult to attain that kind of intelligence under the North’s isolated system.

At a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting on Tuesday, unification and foreign ministers refused to disclose the exact timing they learned of Kim’s death.
Ruling Grand National Party Representative Kim Young-woo said that no matter how closed a country North Korea is it is very problematic that South Korea failed to gain knowledge of Kim’s death in advance.

Main opposition United Democratic Party Representative Shin Nak-yun said despite Pyongyang’s effort to conceal the news, it is shocking that the government was completely in the dark while even private companies were seeking to verify Kim’s death.
(KBS World Radio, 2011-12-20)

Après le décès de Kim Jong-il, alerte cybernétique maximale en Corée du Sud...

La Commission des communications coréenne (KCC) a déclaré qu’un avertissement contre les cyber-attaques potentielles consécutives au décès du leader nord-coréen avait été envoyé. A 14h, cet après-midi, la KCC a monté son alerte cybernétique au troisième niveau le plus élevé, intensifiant la surveillance des attaques DdoS de déni de distribution de service, des incidents de piratage et autres agressions via Internet. L’alerte a été donnée deux heures après l’annonce de la mort de Kim Jong-il par les médias centraux nord-coréens. La commission a mis en place un suivi de toute augmentation subite du trafic vers les sites web des organismes gouvernementaux majeurs, les entreprises de média et les portails Internet. Il a également été demandé aux internautes de ne pas ouvrir d’e-mails à propos de la mort de Kim en provenance d’expéditeurs inconnus. La Corée du Sud a souffert de plusieurs cyber-attaques cette année dont une contre une banque locale. Les autorités sud-coréennes ont blâmé l’État communiste pour avoir attaqué cette banque de la Coopérative agricole sud-coréenne, la Nonghyup. La Corée du Nord avait démenti l’accusation.
(Radio Corée international, le 19-12-2011)

La Corée du Nord a procédé au tir d'essai d'un missile à courte portée...

Lundi matin les militaires nord-coréens ont procédé au tir d'essai d'un missile à courte portée, près de la côte est de la Corée du Nord, a annoncé lundi la chaîne télévisée sud-coréenne YTN. Les autorités de la Corée du Sud ont confirmé le tir nord-coréen. Selon un représentant des autorités sud-coréennes souhaitant garder l'anonymat, ce tir n'a aucun rapport avec le décès du leader nord-coréen Kim Jong-Il.
(La voix de la République islamique d'Iran, le 19-12-2011)

China expected to step up alert after Kim's death...

China's state-run Xinhua news agency has reported a bulletin on the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, quoting a report from North Korea's Central News Agency.

But the Chinese government has not yet made an official announcement.

Kim Jong Il visited China 3 times after making his first visit in 4 years In May 2010.

China has been working on improving friendly relations with North Korea. It helped North Korea rebuild its economy following Kim Jong Il's visits. Experts say China took the measure to support Kim Jong Il's administration.

The 2 countries share a common border. China is concerned that its domestic security could be threatened if a large number of refugees flee the North into northeastern China due to the leader's death.

NHK's correspondents in Beijing say China is expected to strengthen security along its border.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2011-12-19)

New tensions along Korean Peninsula...

North Korea has warned South Korea of unexpected consequences if it lightsa Christmas tree-shaped steel tower structure near their tense border. The North' said such a movewould amount to a form of "psychological warfare". Seoul's annual tradition of lighting up a Christmas tree tower was suspended in 2003 following a warming of ties with Pyongyang. But last year,it resumed the tradition as relations chilled. Seoul is said to have given permission to Christian groups to light two towers this year in the western, central and eastern parts of the border region beginning December 23rd. Relations on the Korean Peninsula frayed after South Korea blamed the North for sinking one of its warships in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives - a charge Pyongyang denies. Tensions were further strained months later, when North Korea shelled a Southern border island, killing four people.
(Radio Canada International, 2012-12-12)

Former Pakistani army head: North Korea gave him cash...

A Pakistani retired general says a North Korean military officer gave him 500,000 dollars in a bid to build ties with the Pakistani military on nuclear and missile development.

Ziauddin Butt, who headed Pakistan's intelligence agency and the army in the 1990s, made the comment in an interview with a local TV channel.

He said a North Korean military officer visited him in the mid-1990s and offered him a bag containing 500,000 dollars. At the time, he was in charge of procuring weapons and equipment for the Pakistani military.

He quoted the officer as saying the North Korean government ordered him to establish relations with Pakistan by giving the cash to a key figure in its government.

Experts believe that since former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited North Korea in 1993, Pakistan has bolstered its ties with North Korea.

With Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan playing a central role, Pakistan is believed to have provided nuclear technology to North Korea in return for missile expertise.

Ziauddin Butt noted that he believes that North Korea offered the bribe to prevent Pakistan's military from opposing collaborations with North Korea in the fields of nuclear and missile technology.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2011-12-12)

US think tank says North Korea is grave threat for US...

An independent U.S. think tank says North Korea is regarded as one of the largest plausible threats the U.S. must prepare for next year.

The U.S. Council on Foreign Relations listed a severe North Korean crisis in its report “Preventive Priorities Survey: 2012.” The report categorizes possible contingencies into three tiers based on their relative urgency and importance to U.S. nation interests.

The report rated North Korea as a “Tier 1” threat, warning against political instability and military provocations from the communist country.

Other “Tier 1” contingencies include a mass casualty attack on the U.S. homeland or its allies, a major military incident with China, and an Iranian nuclear crisis.
(KBS World Radio, 2011-12-10)

Selon Radio Free Asia, la Sécurité d’État nord-coréenne pillerait les familles de réfugiés...

Les agents de la Sécurité d’État, les principales forces de sécurité du régime nord-coréen, pillerait les familles des réfugiés, selon Radio Free Asia. Un réfugié nord-coréen a témoigné aujourd’hui que la Sécurité d’État a approché sa famille en prétextant une enquête sur lui considéré comme disparu et l’a menacée d’expulsion si elle ne lui fournissait pas un ordinateur. Un autre réfugié nord-coréen a lui aussi affirmé que sa famille a fait face à des menaces des agents qui ont demandé du matériel pour leur bureau. La radio a analysé que cette pratique de plus en plus fréquente résultait de l’approvisionnement appauvri des autorités nord-coréennes.
(Radio Corée international, le 09-12-2011)

Une délégation nord-coréenne en route pour l'Europe...

Une délégation nord-coréenne conduite par Ri Yong-chol, un officiel du Parti des travailleurs, est partie pour la Grande-Bretagne. Cette information nous provient de la KCNA, l’agence centrale de presse nord-coréenne.

La dépêche indique que la délégation se rendra aussi en Grèce, sans mentionner cependant plus de détails. On a également appris qu’une délégation du Service européen pour l'action extérieure était arrivée hier matin dans la capitale nord-coréenne.

Avant-hier, la KCNA avait par ailleurs laissé entendre que le numéro deux du régime communiste, Kim Yong-nam, effectuerait bientôt une visite d’amitié en Tanzanie.
(Radio Corée international, le 03-12-2011)

VOA: North Korea supplied weapons of mass destruction to Hezbollah...

Voice of America reports North Korean weapons of mass destruction and missile technologies have been supplied to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah with the help of Iran.

VOA on Saturday quoted a Congressional Research Service report titled “Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses,” which stated Iran has strengthened its ties with Syria in order to support Hezbollah. The report said Syria serves as the transit point for North Korean-made weapons being delivered to the militant Shiite group.

The report also referenced a comment by Israel's former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin in April 2006 and a report by the U.N International Atomic Energy Agency, saying there are concerns that Iran may be seeking to develop small nuclear warheads. It said North Korea supplied to Iran BM-25 missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
(KBS World Radio, 2011-12-03)