CIA tried to kill Kim Jong-un, says N Korea
Regime claims US paid assassin £30,000 to poison leader with radioactive material
NORTH KOREA yesterday accused the CIA of plotting to kill its supreme leader Kim Jong-un with a “bio-chemical” attack, as it threatened to “mercilessly destroy” US and South Korean intelligence agencies.
A spokesman for the regime claimed that a “terrorist” supported by the CIA attempted to poison Mr Kim with radioactive material in April, according to Yonhap News. The plot was said to have involved an assassin named “Kim”, whom the regime said was paid $40,000 (£30,000) by the CIA to kill the supreme 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 (£15,000) on two occasions and a satellite transmitter-receiver and let him get [started].”
KCNA claimed the assassin was a “lumberjack” who used to work in Russia. Neither the CIA nor South Korean intelligence agencies have responded to the extraordinary allegations, which experts dismissed as regime propaganda. “We will ferret out and mercilessly destroy to the last one the terrorists of the US CIA,” a North Korean security minister said.
“[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.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been near boiling point since the country threatened to carry out its sixth nuclear test and threatened “imminent” war against the US.
Soon after his inauguration, President Donald Trump instructed his national security team to undertake a wide-ranging review of how to deal with North Korea including ideas not considered previously. The results included assassinating Mr Kim or placing nuclear weapons in South Korea.
An attempt to kill Mr Kim would be a stark reversal of US foreign policy over the past four decades.
Experts suggested that North Korea was trying to deflect accusations that it uses chemical weapons by accusing its enemies of doing the same.
Mr Kim allegedly ordered the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jongnam with a chemical nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur airport in February.
“This appears to be more about confusing or counteracting domestic rumours about how Kim Jong-nam was killed,” said Dr Adam Cathcart, a lecturer at Leeds University.