North Korea vows revenge for ‘US plot’

NORTH Korea threatened to “mercilessly destroy” US and South Korean intelligence agencies after it accused the CIA of plotting to kill its supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, with a “biochemical” attack.

A spokesman for the regime claimed that a “terrorist” supported by the CIA attempted to poison Kim with radioactive material in April, according to Yonhap News.

The plot was said to have involved an assassin named “Kim”, who the regime said was paid $40 000 (about R537 000) by the CIA to kill the leader during North Korea’s Day of the Sun parade.

“They told him that assassination by use of biochemical substances including radioactive substance and nano poisonous substance is the best method,” said state broadcaster KCNA. “Then they handed him over $20 000 on two occasions and a satellite transmitter-receiver and let him get [started].”

KCNA claimed the would-be assassin was a “lumberjack” who used to work in Russia. Neither the CIA nor South Korean intelligence agencies responded to the extraordinary allegations, which experts dismissed as regime propaganda.

North Korean propaganda frequently claims that foreign enemies are trying to kill the supreme leader, although this marks the first time the CIA has been accused of plotting a chemical attack on Kim.

“We will ferret out and mercilessly destroy to the last one the terrorists of the US CIA,” a North Korean security minister said in a statement.

“[A] Korean-style anti-terrorist attack will be commenced from this moment to sweep away the intelligence and plot-breeding organisations of the US imperialists and the puppet clique [of South Korea],” added the statement, which was unusually detailed.

The regime went on to claim that the chemical agent that was used “takes six to 12 months for its lethal effects to appear”.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been near boiling point since the country vowed to carry out a sixth nuclear test and threatened “imminent” war against the US.

Soon after his inauguration, US President Donald Trump instructed his national security team to review how to deal with North Korea, including “blue sky” ideas not considered previously.

Retired Admiral James Stavridis said at the time that assassination would be “tempting”, but “what happens the day after you decapitate? In North Korea it’s an enormous unknown.” — © The Daily Telegraph, London