26 August 2023 , 17:13
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A bomb has rocked North Korea's capital in what has been described as an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un.
Security around the world leader has tightened since the blast, which reports say happened in Pyongyang the past eight weeks and has led to Jong-un "feeling uneasy about his safety". Now, the politician, supreme leader of North Korea since 2011, has imported new explosive detection equipment, and added briefcase-wielding guards to his security team, sources claim.
Dictator Kim Jong-un (AP)Michael Madden, a leading expert on the North Korean elite, said: “There has certainly been a tightening of security measures around Kim Jong-un. These are known as ballistic bags or ballistic briefcases. They are made of carbon fiber. In addition to being bulletproof, they also protect against tasers and other electronic-based ordnance.
Red circles are marked around briefcases carried by extra bodyguards Kim Jong-un has drafted in (Credit: Pen News)"If the spotters radio the guards about suspicious activity or if a shot is fired , they can raise the bags to protect Kim Jong-un. These bags also unfold – there is either velcro or a clasp which can be undone, which turns the bags into a kind of fabric shield. So if someone takes a shot at Kim they would open these bags, surround and then cover him until he can be tossed into a car."
He noted that Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader’s father and predecessor, had equipped his guards with ballistic briefcases too. In his case, however, they served a dual purpose – carrying medical equipment, including a portable defibrillator, for the ailing tyrant.
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Security in the country has tightened since the blast happened (Credit: Pen News)Mr Madden said: “This begs the question: do these briefcases contain similar measures for Kim Jong-un? Especially when we consider his immediate bodyguards are carrying them around.”
The analyst highlighted two occasions in April when Kim’s bodyguards carried the cases – a visit to the North Korean space agency, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Pyongyang. Around that time, the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida had survived an assassination attempt when an explosive was thrown at him during a campaign visit. It came less than a year after Kishida's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was gunned down.
Mr Madden, a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC, also noted the increasingly irregular public appearances of senior regime figures. The South Korean government says Kim’s public engagements so far this year are down by half.
Mr Madden said: “In 2017 or 2019 we would see senior officials presiding over or attending certain non-holiday or non anniversary events. Since 2020 it has been highly uneven – putting aside, of course, social distancing. Sometimes we see these gents, sometimes we do not.
South Korea’s spy agency was unable to confirm the explosion. "The outbreak of a bombing attack has not been identified, but we are tracking related situations," a spokesperson told the press.
It’s unclear how many people were hurt in the blast, but an article in the country's newspaper The Dong-a Ilbo said that there had been casualties. The newspaper speculated that a bomb attack could have been motivated by anger at the country’s worsening food crisis and the threat of starvation. Mr Madden said it could also have been an attempt to steal food rather than exact revenge.
He said: "Another theory is that the explosion was staged so that a group could steal supplies off of a truck. In the west, if we want to carjack someone we get them at a red light or maybe fake a car malfunction and flag them down from the side of the road.
"In North Korea that wouldn't fly, especially with trucks or van carrying food. So, they detonate an explosive, tip the truck and take the supplies."