N. Korean spies on mission to kill 'traitor'
Source: Agencies |
April 22, 2010, Thursday
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POSING as refugees, a pair of North Korean spies made their way to South Korea with a mission to assassinate the North's most high-profile defector: a man who once mentored leader Kim Jong Il, authorities said yesterday.
Hwang Jang-yop, chief architect of North Korea's guiding "juche" philosophy of self-reliance, was one of North Korea's most powerful officials when he fled the country 13 years ago in a defection that reportedly enraged Kim Jong Il.
This week, two North Korean army majors were arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill the 87-year-old Hwang, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said yesterday.
The two, both 36, confessed to investigators that they were ordered to report back on Hwang's activities and to prepare to "slit the betrayer's throat," a senior prosecutor said on condition of anonymity.
The arrests on Tuesday come as tensions are escalating over the sinking of a South Korean warship that mysteriously exploded and sank last month near the North Korean border.
Speculation is mounting that Pyongyang may have been behind the blast.
Hwang, who lives with around-the-clock police protection due to concerns about North Korean attempts on his life, shrugged off the arrests and said they did not intimidate him, the Yonhap news agency said, citing an unidentified acquaintance.
"I called Hwang after watching news of the agents' arrest but he told me, 'Why are you concerned about such a thing?'" the report quoted the friend as saying.
The North Koreans are the first arrests in connection with a plot against the man who once was a close confidant to Kim Jong Il, the prosecutor said.
Hwang worked as Kim's private tutor on his "juche" philosophy, according to South Korean media reports.
The men, identified as Kim Myong Ho and Dong Myong Kwan, made their way from Yanji in China, to Thailand posing as defectors. Thai authorities deported one to South Korea in January, the other in February, the prosecutor said.
The two were arrested after their mission emerged during questioning about their motives for defecting, he said.
One of the suspects attempted suicide during questioning but wasn't seriously hurt, prosecution spokesman Oh Se-in said without giving further details.
They could face the death penalty if convicted of violating the National Security Law.
North and South Korea have remained locked in war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce but not a peace treaty.
Hwang Jang-yop, chief architect of North Korea's guiding "juche" philosophy of self-reliance, was one of North Korea's most powerful officials when he fled the country 13 years ago in a defection that reportedly enraged Kim Jong Il.
This week, two North Korean army majors were arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill the 87-year-old Hwang, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said yesterday.
The two, both 36, confessed to investigators that they were ordered to report back on Hwang's activities and to prepare to "slit the betrayer's throat," a senior prosecutor said on condition of anonymity.
The arrests on Tuesday come as tensions are escalating over the sinking of a South Korean warship that mysteriously exploded and sank last month near the North Korean border.
Speculation is mounting that Pyongyang may have been behind the blast.
Hwang, who lives with around-the-clock police protection due to concerns about North Korean attempts on his life, shrugged off the arrests and said they did not intimidate him, the Yonhap news agency said, citing an unidentified acquaintance.
"I called Hwang after watching news of the agents' arrest but he told me, 'Why are you concerned about such a thing?'" the report quoted the friend as saying.
The North Koreans are the first arrests in connection with a plot against the man who once was a close confidant to Kim Jong Il, the prosecutor said.
Hwang worked as Kim's private tutor on his "juche" philosophy, according to South Korean media reports.
The men, identified as Kim Myong Ho and Dong Myong Kwan, made their way from Yanji in China, to Thailand posing as defectors. Thai authorities deported one to South Korea in January, the other in February, the prosecutor said.
The two were arrested after their mission emerged during questioning about their motives for defecting, he said.
One of the suspects attempted suicide during questioning but wasn't seriously hurt, prosecution spokesman Oh Se-in said without giving further details.
They could face the death penalty if convicted of violating the National Security Law.
North and South Korea have remained locked in war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce but not a peace treaty.
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