Anyone seen Kim Jong-il since the big train blast in N. Korea?

Any sightings?

Is he missing? I haven't thought about it. The last time I heard from Kim was when he did some more saber-rattling (I read about it on the LBN about 2 weeks ago).

That's all I've heard. Otherwise quiet on the western front.

explosion in a town in N. Korea...the same day that Kim Jong-il was traveling home from China ON A TRAIN and was supposed to pass the area where the explosion took place. There seemed to be some confusion in the press about when his train passed that area (and there was a decoy train as well). So just wondering if he has resurfaced since the blast. Some think the blast was an attempted assassination.

I posted the article on this in the Meeting Rm. I think it was one of Nancy's threads.

On Edit: Here's the article -

Did North Korea's Kim Jong-il die in that huge blast?

Mysteries surround N. Korea blast

STRANGE DAYS INDEED: Some outsiders have started to wonder why such a disproportionate number of the injured were children - and where exactly Kim Jong-il is

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , TOKYO
Friday, Apr 30, 2004,Page 6

To hear North Korea's state media tell it, in the midst of an inferno of exploding rail cars and dying children, several heroic women made the ultimate sacrifice, running into blazing buildings in frantic attempts to save treasured portraits of Kim Jong-il and his late father, Kim Il-sung.

"Many people of the county evacuated portraits before searching after their family members or saving their household goods," the Korean Central News Agency wrote approvingly from Ryongchon, the railroad town where a huge explosion killed at least 161 people and wounded 1,300 last week.

"They were buried under the collapsing building to die a heroic death as they were trying to come out with portraits of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il," it said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/04/30/2003138599

.
.
.

From the Taipei Times article:

"About 500 of the 1,300 people wounded were blinded"

Two things:

What kind of blast blinds people? - surely not just an explosion of fertilizer?

And even more curious,

Why were so many people looking AT the explosion?

That's alot of people to be standing around staring right at the incident/explosion?

Or was the blindness causes by contact with some chemical/fumes?

I know, questions without answers,

so far.

Seoul, , May. 3 (UPI) -- North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong Il made his first public appearance over the weekend since the devastating train explosion on April 22, according to the North's official media on Monday.

But he was not at the site of the country's worst disaster to meet blast victims and guide reconstruction efforts. Rather, he visited a military unit and called for improving its combat capabilities, an indication that the catastrophe will not drive changes in the rigid communist system.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim made an "on-spot" tour of the Korean People's Army Unit 4302. Meeting with soldiers at the unidentified location, Kim, who rules the country as the supreme army commander, called for "redoubling" of their combat capability to "wipe out any enemies," the report said.

He also expressed pride that his soldiers were trained as "a match-for-100 fighters" and "always live full of optimism and joy wherever they are stationed," KCNA said. But the report did not say when the leader made the visit....MORE >

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040503-051025-2386r.htm

And a similar article here:

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,249153,00.html

Anyone see the blast pics posted last week? Very strange....no evidence of an epicenter or crater origin......just missing buildings. I really am beginning to wonder if he's amongst the living.

in the first place. Either some photographer was expecting the blast OR they were simply documenting the train as their leader passed. Either answer seems suspicious.

the blast was attributed to a fuel/fertilizer explosion on the trains. However, I saw no evidence of a crater/chared destruction where the rail line was....not a lot of difference from the "before" pic.

The pictures don't surprise me. I am show that NK is constantly mapped and analyzed, particularly their train system and towns/cities along these routes. But obviously, if we can take hi-res pictures, we can also track things like trains. Could a stealth bomber have been used to remove this guy? Given the increasing tensions and this administration's penchant to use non-diplomatic solutions to international problems, it wouldn't come as a complete shock. They would, of course, never admit this.

I find a total news black out quite strange, though. How can a country that's so dependent on cult leadership, not have leaked the status of Kim's condition, good/bad, for 2+ weeks? Very odd, indeed.

N.Korea Agrees to Military Talks with South

Fri May 7, 2004 12:35 AM ET

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5068626

It certainly would make sense that these military meetings would be conducted. If he's gone, I think NK would need to communicate the news to SK and pre-plan strategic issues, even before an announcement is made to the No. Korean people. I just read an article in Asia Times that is concerned that NK would be run by a military directorate and could be possibly more hardline than Kim. That's a scary thought.

And I found it odd that Kim would have let all those foreigners in after the blast even to help in the rescue work.

Someone in another thread wondered if Kim would show up at some May holiday which has now passed I think.

I feel pretty certain that at the very least that blast WAS an assassination attempt. Was it successful? Stay tuned.

A friend of mine in the space biz showed me before and after photos of the blast site. I didn't think too much of it, but why would their be a before photo?

Hmmmmmmm......

Koizumi can get abductee kin: Pyongyang (N. Korea/Japan)

This is an interesting story...particularly given the recent events in N. Korea (train explosion). Why is Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suddenly interested in this visit to N. Korea?
Is it for political advantage or is there something more going on?

Maybe a Japanese DUer or someone familiar with this story can shed some light.

_______________


Koizumi can get abductee kin: Pyongyang

North Korea earlier this year told Japan through informal channels that it would allow the relatives of five repatriated Japanese to leave the country if Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi goes to Pyongyang to pick them up, government sources said Sunday.
The revelation comes on the heels of media reports that the prime minister is contemplating such a visit to break the impasse in the abduction issue.

According to the sources, the North Korean side made the suggestion on "several occasions" in March and April. They added they believe the move was triggered by Pyongyang's desire to improve bilateral ties and extract much-needed economic aid from Japan.

At the same time, North Korea said it would like to "strive to resolve problems between Japan and North Korea through a summit" between its leader Kim Jong Il and Koizumi, the sources said.

But Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shinzo Abe expressed caution.

A visit by Koizumi to Pyongyang would signify "a very grave decision" by Japan regarding the abductions issue, Abe said on a TV Asahi talk show Sunday.

"It is necessary to cautiously study the idea of Koizumi going (to North Korea) under the circumstances in which our people have been taken hostage," Abe said.

Sources close to the two countries said Saturday that Tokyo brought up a Koizumi visit to Pyongyang at bilateral talks held in Beijing last Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the North Korean officials responded that they would take it back to their government for further consideration.......cont'd >

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040510a1.htm

Takes a second to load:

I can get satellite photos of any part of the world if I search the web enough. A US magazine even printed personalized covers for its subscribers with a sat photo of their neigbourhood, so it should hardly be surprising that there are detailed photos of a small country that is hostile to the west, building nukes and testing missiles that can hit Japan.

Japanese PM Koizumi to visit Pyongyang (N. Korea's Kim Jong il) on May 22

Kim to be asked to allow returnees' kin to leave

By KANAKO TAKAHARA
Staff writer

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit Pyongyang on May 22 for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in an effort to secure the passage to Japan of eight family members of five repatriated abductees, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.
Koizumi may bring back the relatives on the government plane on which he will be traveling, government sources said privately. Seven of the eight are offspring of the five abductees, while the eighth is the American husband of one of the five.

Hosoda did not elaborate on details of Koizumi's plan to bring the relatives here.

He did state, however, that the prime minister's visit was also aimed at making headway on bilateral normalization talks, which have been stalled since October 2002.

"Japan and North Korea will confirm their intention to implement the Pyongyang Declaration and aim at improving trust between Japan and North Korea," Hodosa told a news conference.

He was referring to the statement that stipulates a road map toward normalization, signed by Koizumi and Kim in Pyongyang on Sept. 17, 2002.

Koizumi made a one-day landmark visit at that time to meet with Kim.

It is rare for the leader of any country to twice visit a state with which it has no diplomatic ties.

..snip..

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker backed Koizumi's plan to visit Pyongyang.

"The U.S. supports Japan's efforts to gain release of the abductees and their families," Baker said in a statement. "Our sympathy goes out to all the abductees and their families, and we wish the prime minister well."

MORE >>

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040515a1.htm
_____________

So this must mean Kim Jong Il DID survive the train explosion.

Experts doubt merits of Koizumi Pyongyang trip


By KANAKO TAKAHARA
Staff writer

Widespread suspicion over North Korea's agenda has failed to dampen speculation that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may visit Pyongyang in the near future to secure the passage to Japan of the families of the five repatriated abductees.
According to some media reports, Hitoshi Tanaka, deputy foreign minister, and Mitoji Yabunaka, director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, will hold bilateral talks on the matter with North Korea in China or elsewhere as early as this weekend. Officials would not confirm these reports.

It would be Koizumi's second visit to the country, following his historic summit there in September 2002.

Speculation over the visit has been fueled by the fact that Tanaka, known as a key figure in Japan's diplomatic negotiations with North Korea, has canceled a scheduled trip to Washington for a G8 meeting that was due to begin Thursday.

He was scheduled to accompany Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

The specter of Koizumi visiting Pyongyang made headlines before and after Tanaka and Yabunaka flew to Beijing last week to attend a two-day meeting with their North Korean counterparts.

It was reported that the officials -- at Koizumi's behest -- had sounded out their counterparts on this idea.

...snip...

A senior Foreign Ministry official involved in Japan-North Korea talks has voiced concern that Japan-U.S. relations could be damaged if Koizumi pays another visit to a state Washington has branded a "supporter of terrorism."

"Japan has asked the U.S. to include the abductions in its annual report on global terrorism," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Koizumi may be criticized for the about-face."


It is widely believed the U.S. government cannot afford to seriously address North Korean issues until after the presidential election in November. Some experts warn that Washington would not welcome a change of position in Tokyo before the nuclear standoff is resolved....MORE

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040514f1.htm

____


HUH? Does this whole thing seem a little weird to anyone else? On the one hand the first article is saying that the U.S. (Baker) approves of this visit to N. Korea, while this article seems to suggest the U.S. frowns on it. Also, why is Japan pressing for this trip now?

Incoherence is a hallmark of the Bush administration's foreign policy.
I would speculate that this is an indication of Japans intent to
pursue it's interest in normalizing relations with N. Korea
independently, as well it should. N. Korea is dangerous, but has no
aggressive designs, there is nothing for it in conquest. If you
accept that, it is an indication of the continuing disintegration
of US global hegemony under Bush's "management".

Ryongchon Explosion Eight Times as Great as North Claims


TOKYO -- Japan's Kyodo News, citing numerous diplomatic sources in Vienna, reported Saturday that the force of April 22's train explosion at the North's Ryonchon Station was about that of an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale, which would have required about 800 tons of TNT -- about eight times that officially announced by North Korea.

The sources referred to earthquake figures gotten by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency had previously reported that the destructive power of the blast was that of 100 tons of dynamite, and explained that the accident was caused by "the electrical contact caused by carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer and tank wagons".

The CTBTO feels that the cause of the explosion may differ from the North's explanation, and noted the explosion might have been caused by highly-explosive materials like military-use fuel going off. Officials at the CTBTO plan to look into the causes of the accident.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200405/200405160017.html

Before and after:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/

NKorea to let Japan abductee relatives leave


Saturday 22 May 2004

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has agreed to let all eight relatives of Japanese abducted decades ago leave the communist state, Japanese Prime Minister has said after a summit meeting.

Kim also pledged to work for a nuclear-arms-free Korean peninsula and a peaceful solution to a crisis over the North's nuclear programmes through multilateral talks, Junichiro Koizumi told a news conference on Saturday .

"We must normalise our abnormal ties," Koizumi said. "It is in the interests of both countries to change our hostile relation into a friendly one, our confrontational ties into cooperative ties. That is why I went to North Korea a second time."

The five abductees were ordinary young adults when they were snatched from their home towns a quarter of a century ago and taken to North Korea to help train spies.

They came back to Japan in October 2002, a month after Koizumi's first landmark summit with Kim, but had to leave behind their seven North Korean-born children, aged 16 to 22....cont'd

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0C9FA442-0BD7-4B4B-99AC-3FFE0B847045.htm