Rumor: N. Koreans May Have Disabled River Alert System
Well, this would be strong evidence for the “water attack” theory:
North Korea may have disabled alert systems that monitor water levels before it opened floodgates on Sept. 6, killing six South Korean campers, the Korea Economic Daily said, citing unidentified government officials.
Four automatic alert systems near South Korea’s Imjin river weren’t working three hours before North Korea opened the floodgates to one of its dams, the Korean-language newspaper said. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service is investigating the matter, according to the report. [Bloomberg, Kevin Cho]
This and the post above it on the indications of a possible new famine have me slightly worried – a little more now that I’m sitting in Korea again and not more than a figurative grenade throw from the DMZ – because it is a weak provocation by NK standards and for some reason speaks of desperation to me…
When NK sent a fighter jet to try to copycat the China spyplane incident in about 2003 or so, I thought it was a sign of desperation but one that made me think NK would soon cave and come back to the talks.
When NK sent attack boats into the West Sea to shoot up South Korean patrol boats near the end of the World Cup co-hosted by SK and Japan, I thought it was a typical, planned, thuggery act by Pyongyang.
I don’t see this flood, if done on purpose, as a thuggery act – an act done out of supposed strength. For some reason, it seems one of desperation, and a desperate thug is dangerous, and desperation in Pyongyang, I give an educated guess, stems most wholly from fears of collapse it is seeing and judging itself —-
—- a nation that is willing to watch tens of thousands to millions starve and wallow in the worst poverty of the government’s own making does not act out of desperation — unless the fear is high……
So I’m a little worried….just a little…