begin quote from:
South Korea has plan to kill Kim
South Korea reveals it has a plan to assassinate Kim Jong Un
Story highlights
- Analyst says South Korea president would want to have this option on table
- South Korea has upped its rhetoric against Pyongyang since 5th nuke test
Seoul (CNN)South
Korea has elite troops on standby ready to assassinate Kim Jong Un if
the country feels threatened by North Korean nuclear weapons, the
country's defense minister revealed this week.
Asked
in parliament Wednesday if there was a special forces unit already
assembled that could eliminate North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, Han
Min-koo said: "Yes, we do have such a plan. "
"South
Korea has a general idea and plan to use precision missile capabilities
to target the enemy's facilities in major areas as well as eliminating
the enemy's leadership," he added.
Kim Jong Un inspects Farm No. 1116 in an undisclosed location in a photo released September 13, 2016.
It has long been suspected that such a plan was in place but the minister's candid answer surprised some.
"A
president would want to have the option," says Daniel Pinkston of Troy
University. "... Not presenting that to the president, not training for
it and having that capability would be a mistake."
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
July 2014:
North Korea threatens to hit the White House and Pentagon with nuclear
weapons. American "imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival,"
North Korean officials reportedly said after the country accused the
U.S. of increasing hostilities on the border with South Korea. "Our
troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the
Pentagon -- the sources of all evil," North Korean Gen. Hwang Pyong-So
said, according to The Telegraph.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2013: Angered by tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, the Supreme Command of North Korea's military vowed
to put "on highest alert" the country's "rocket units" that are
assigned to strike "U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S.
mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the
Pacific." Whether Pyongyang has the will to back up such doomsday talk
is a perplexing question, but there is evidence that its know-how -- in terms of uranium enrichment, nuclear testing and missile technology -- is progressing.
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
February 2013: In a message to the United States and South Korea, North Korea vowed "miserable destruction" if "your side ignites a war of aggression by staging reckless joint military exercises."
Hide Caption
10 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
June 2012: Once again, North Korea vowed to be "merciless"
in its promised attack on the United States, this time threatening a
"sacred war" as it aimed artillery at South Korean media groups. North
Korea was mad that South Korean journalists had criticized Pyongyang children's festivals meant to foster allegiance to the Kim family.
Hide Caption
11 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
April 2012: North Korea's state-run news agency reported that
"the moment of explosion is approaching fast" and promised "merciless"
strikes against the United States. "The U.S. had better ponder over the
prevailing grave situation," it said. Later that month, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket
that broke apart and fell into the sea. The launch came during
preparations for a grand party that celebrated the 100th anniversary of
the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea.
Hide Caption
12 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
November 2011: North Korea's military threatened to turn the capital of South Korea into a "sea of fire," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.
Hide Caption
13 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2009: After the U.S. pledge to give nuclear defense to South Korea, Pyongyang threatened a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."
Hide Caption
14 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2002:
U.S. President George W. Bush includes North Korea in an "axis of evil"
with Iran and Iraq, which North Korea brushes off as a "little short of
a declaration of war." North Korea reportedly threatened to "wipe out the aggressors." That year, North Korea also threatened to kick out international inspectors who were in the country to monitor its compliance with global nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Hide Caption
15 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
North
Korea has a history of using creative language to express loathing for
its enemies. Here are some of the regime's more colorful threats against
the West.
March 2016: North Korea warned it would make a "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang issued a long statement promising that "time will prove how the crime-woven history of the U.S. imperialists who have grown corpulent through aggression and war will come to an end and how the Park Geun Hye group's disgraceful remaining days will meet a miserable doom as it is keen on the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north."
March 2016: North Korea warned it would make a "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang issued a long statement promising that "time will prove how the crime-woven history of the U.S. imperialists who have grown corpulent through aggression and war will come to an end and how the Park Geun Hye group's disgraceful remaining days will meet a miserable doom as it is keen on the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north."
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2016:
Following the imposition of strict U.N. sanctions, North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un said the country's "nuclear warheads need to be ready for
use at any time," the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
January 2016: North
Korea claimed to have successfully tested a thermonuclear weapon,
justifying its right to have an H-bomb on the grounds of "self defense."
Hide Caption
3 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
September 2015: In a statement, North Korea said its nuclear arsenal was ready for use "at any time."
Hide Caption
4 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015:
As forces from the U.S. and South Korea took part in joint military
drills. North Korea's state media referred to the exercises, which
started on August 17, as "madcap" and issued a stern warning to America:
"If the U.S. ignites a war in the end, far from drawing a lesson taught
by its bitter defeat in the history, the DPRK will bring an irrevocable
disaster and disgrace to it."
Hide Caption
5 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015: On
August 23, as North Korean negotiators were meeting with their South
Korean counterparts over current tensions, a KCTV presenter appeared on
air repeating North Korea's ambitions to "destroy the warmongering South
Korean puppet military."
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
December 2014: The FBI said it
suspected North Korea was behind a hack of Sony Entertainment, which
led executives to initially cancel the theatrical release of "The
Interview." The film was a comedy about an American television
personality who the CIA asks to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un. North Korea threatened
"merciless" action against the U.S. if the film was released, accusing
the U.S. of retaliating for the hack by shutting down North Korea's
Internet access. North Korea's National Defense Commission also called U.S. President Barack Obama "reckless" and a "monkey."
Hide Caption
7 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
July 2014:
North Korea threatens to hit the White House and Pentagon with nuclear
weapons. American "imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival,"
North Korean officials reportedly said after the country accused the
U.S. of increasing hostilities on the border with South Korea. "Our
troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the
Pentagon -- the sources of all evil," North Korean Gen. Hwang Pyong-So
said, according to The Telegraph.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2013: Angered by tougher U.N. sanctions and joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea, the Supreme Command of North Korea's military vowed
to put "on highest alert" the country's "rocket units" that are
assigned to strike "U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S.
mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the
Pacific." Whether Pyongyang has the will to back up such doomsday talk
is a perplexing question, but there is evidence that its know-how -- in terms of uranium enrichment, nuclear testing and missile technology -- is progressing.
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
February 2013: In a message to the United States and South Korea, North Korea vowed "miserable destruction" if "your side ignites a war of aggression by staging reckless joint military exercises."
Hide Caption
10 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
June 2012: Once again, North Korea vowed to be "merciless"
in its promised attack on the United States, this time threatening a
"sacred war" as it aimed artillery at South Korean media groups. North
Korea was mad that South Korean journalists had criticized Pyongyang children's festivals meant to foster allegiance to the Kim family.
Hide Caption
11 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
April 2012: North Korea's state-run news agency reported that
"the moment of explosion is approaching fast" and promised "merciless"
strikes against the United States. "The U.S. had better ponder over the
prevailing grave situation," it said. Later that month, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket
that broke apart and fell into the sea. The launch came during
preparations for a grand party that celebrated the 100th anniversary of
the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea.
Hide Caption
12 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
November 2011: North Korea's military threatened to turn the capital of South Korea into a "sea of fire," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.
Hide Caption
13 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2009: After the U.S. pledge to give nuclear defense to South Korea, Pyongyang threatened a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."
Hide Caption
14 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
2002:
U.S. President George W. Bush includes North Korea in an "axis of evil"
with Iran and Iraq, which North Korea brushes off as a "little short of
a declaration of war." North Korea reportedly threatened to "wipe out the aggressors." That year, North Korea also threatened to kick out international inspectors who were in the country to monitor its compliance with global nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Hide Caption
15 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
North
Korea has a history of using creative language to express loathing for
its enemies. Here are some of the regime's more colorful threats against
the West.
March 2016: North Korea warned it would make a "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang issued a long statement promising that "time will prove how the crime-woven history of the U.S. imperialists who have grown corpulent through aggression and war will come to an end and how the Park Geun Hye group's disgraceful remaining days will meet a miserable doom as it is keen on the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north."
March 2016: North Korea warned it would make a "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" in response to joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Pyongyang issued a long statement promising that "time will prove how the crime-woven history of the U.S. imperialists who have grown corpulent through aggression and war will come to an end and how the Park Geun Hye group's disgraceful remaining days will meet a miserable doom as it is keen on the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north."
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
March 2016:
Following the imposition of strict U.N. sanctions, North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un said the country's "nuclear warheads need to be ready for
use at any time," the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
January 2016: North
Korea claimed to have successfully tested a thermonuclear weapon,
justifying its right to have an H-bomb on the grounds of "self defense."
Hide Caption
3 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
September 2015: In a statement, North Korea said its nuclear arsenal was ready for use "at any time."
Hide Caption
4 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015:
As forces from the U.S. and South Korea took part in joint military
drills. North Korea's state media referred to the exercises, which
started on August 17, as "madcap" and issued a stern warning to America:
"If the U.S. ignites a war in the end, far from drawing a lesson taught
by its bitter defeat in the history, the DPRK will bring an irrevocable
disaster and disgrace to it."
Hide Caption
5 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
August 2015: On
August 23, as North Korean negotiators were meeting with their South
Korean counterparts over current tensions, a KCTV presenter appeared on
air repeating North Korea's ambitions to "destroy the warmongering South
Korean puppet military."
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
December 2014: The FBI said it
suspected North Korea was behind a hack of Sony Entertainment, which
led executives to initially cancel the theatrical release of "The
Interview." The film was a comedy about an American television
personality who the CIA asks to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un. North Korea threatened
"merciless" action against the U.S. if the film was released, accusing
the U.S. of retaliating for the hack by shutting down North Korea's
Internet access. North Korea's National Defense Commission also called U.S. President Barack Obama "reckless" and a "monkey."
Hide Caption
7 of 15
Photos: North Korea's verbal volleys
July 2014:
North Korea threatens to hit the White House and Pentagon with nuclear
weapons. American "imperialists threaten our sovereignty and survival,"
North Korean officials reportedly said after the country accused the
U.S. of increasing hostilities on the border with South Korea. "Our
troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the
Pentagon -- the sources of all evil," North Korean Gen. Hwang Pyong-So
said, according to The Telegraph.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
South Korea has intensified its rhetoric against the leadership of North Korea since Pyongyang claimed a successful test of a nuclear warhead on September 9.
This week it tested a new type of high powered rocket engine of the type that could be used for an intercontinental ballistic missile.
'Worst case scenario'
The
defense ministry has said it is planning for the worst case scenario
and assumed North Korea was ready to conduct a sixth nuclear test.
Earlier
this month, Leem Ho Young, Chief Director of Strategic Planning at the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, described a new system called the Korea Massive
Punishment & Retaliation (KMPR) just hours after North Korea claimed
it had tested a nuclear warhead.
It
would involve surgical missile attacks, exclusive special warfare units
and an ability to strike North Korea's leadership if South Korea feels
threatened by nuclear attack.
Meanwhile,
North Korea accused the United States of pushing the peninsula to the
brink of war after this week's flyover of two US B-1B bombers close to
the DMZ or demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer is flanked by two F-15K Slam Eagles during a flight over South Korea, September 21, 2016.
A US military source told CNN this is the closest this type of bomber has ever flown to North Korea.
Pyongyang
said it was a "vicious scenario to make a preemptive nuclear strike at
the DPRK," according to state-run news agency KCNA.
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