# Kim Jong Un Does it Again: Kills His Defense Chief **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905 "2015-05-13T02:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/61 "2015-05-14T19:12:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [.50 BMG Raufoss](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raufoss_Mk_211) Cool. I did not know that. Thanks. Wiki doesn’t say when it was invented. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/62 "2015-05-14T19:46:24Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > The’ll have that tractor fixed any time now! Mild whoosh, I think. Oxen are neutered. That’s why calling someone ‘strong as an ox’ can be insulting… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/63 "2015-05-14T19:56:56Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > So, what, did he just have some AA ammo sitting around that was about to go bad and decided to use it up? Given the state of the NK economy, I wouldn’t be surprised if “death by AA” means they dropped the gun on his head. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/64 "2015-05-14T22:34:13Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Given the state of the NK economy, I wouldn’t be surprised if “death by AA” means they dropped the gun on his head. Perhaps several times. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/65 "2015-05-15T00:11:02Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > If he had his Defense Chief killed with AA guns, what would he use to kill his Minister of Agriculture? He can always have him eaten alive by [del]dogs[/del] hogs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/66 "2015-05-15T01:24:47Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > He can always have him eaten alive by [del]dogs[/del] hogs. Ala Hannibel Lector, cool. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/67 "2015-05-15T02:50:22Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Not sure but it probably involves a mop. I first read that as “Not sure but it probably involves a _map_.” Probably true too. :eek: > [@hotflungwok](#): > > If he had his Defense Chief killed with AA guns, what would he use to kill his Minister of Agriculture? This being North Korea it would be death by starvation or blowing up like Mr. Creosote by being force fed tree bark. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/68 "2015-05-16T00:19:50Z")
doubts are starting to emerge about the report, according to Reuters: [South Korea spy agency under scrutiny after reporting Pyongyang execution](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-northkorea-southkorea-spy-idUSKBN0O015320150515) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/69 "2015-05-16T23:39:16Z")
Never let reality interfere with a good yarn. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/70 "2015-05-17T04:38:52Z")
Lil’ Kim was looking like he might have an idea… In the NK, as with Mao’s China, the Army owned the sources of wealth - shipyards, factories. mills, etc. One of the first reforms was to take the money sources from the military and put them (and the military) under (civilian) professional management. One of Kim’s first actions was to take industry from the Army. Now maybe he was just going to destroy a competing power base - in which case, things could get interesting. If the Generals decide it is only a matter of time until they are the targets and not the spectators, there might be an old-fashioned “Developing Country” change of leadership - two Colonels step up behind El Leader and put a bullet in his head and immediately announce a Provisional Government. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/71 "2015-05-17T05:40:05Z")
A Coup? Could be. Has Lil’ Kim really established his Godhood yet? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/72 "2015-05-17T06:39:00Z")
The elites certainly don’t believe the god hype - the military will have institutional memory of how the USSR (in the last days of Stalin) set up grandpa Kim as a Stalin-esk figure. Remember: “Stalin” = “Man of Steel” - he had a strong personality cult. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/73 "2015-05-17T06:46:01Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Remember: “Stalin” = “Man of Steel” - he had a strong personality cult. As MAD Magazine pointed out many years ago, Stalin was just his assumed name, and his maiden name, [Dzugashvili](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Dzugashvili), presumably means “full of dzugash”. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/74 "2015-05-17T07:59:48Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > doubts are starting to emerge about the report, according to Reuters: > > [South Korea spy agency under scrutiny after reporting Pyongyang execution](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-northkorea-southkorea-spy-idUSKBN0O015320150515) Yeah… wasn’t he supposed to have done the same thing last year with his girlfriend and some other chief, then a month later it turned out it had all been made up by some news agency? Can’t get fooled again. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/75 "2015-05-17T20:40:26Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > doubts are starting to emerge about the report, according to Reuters: > > [South Korea spy agency under scrutiny after reporting Pyongyang execution](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-northkorea-southkorea-spy-idUSKBN0O015320150515) IMHO, Everything the media reports should be taken with a bit of skepticism. They’re no longer known for properly vetting their stories. A South Korean, or any other, agency feeds them a story which they then report verbatim. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/76 "2015-05-17T20:56:14Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > IMHO, Everything the media reports should be taken with a bit of skepticism. They’re no longer known for properly vetting their stories. A South Korean, or any other, agency feeds them a story which they then report verbatim. While it’s true enough that the media is getting less and less trustworthy, I’m not sure how they confirm such a story. Simply sourcing it as the KCIA, which is charged by the South Korean government with spying on North Korea, is probably about as good as a western news agency can get. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/77 "2015-05-17T21:18:33Z")
posted for historical purposes only > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > doubts are starting to emerge about the report, \*according \*to Reuters: > > [South Korea spy agency under scrutiny after reporting Pyongyang execution](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/15/us-northkorea-southkorea-spy-idUSKBN0O015320150515) > [@Frank](#): > > While it’s true enough that the media is getting less and less trustworthy, I’m not sure how they confirm such a story. Simply sourcing it as the KCIA, which is charged by the South Korean government with spying on North Korea, is probably about as good as a western news agency can get. According to the reuter’s article linked in **Northern Piper** ’s post - _The South Korean spy agency’s assertion that North Korea purged its defense chief and executed him with anti-aircraft fire is one of its boldest claims ever, and, given the agency’s chequered history, has come under growing scrutiny_. “Growing scrutiny” that apparently didn’t exist prior to the release of the initial story??? What’s a little scrutiny compared to being the first to report the story? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/78 "2015-05-17T21:44:16Z")
Has anyone else seen a story of a VERY high-ranking DPRK official (as in if you heard the title, you’d know the name)? I thought I saw this a few days before the Defense Chief story broke. I had thought maybe the story came form this person (who left his wife and kids in that hellhole - his great-grandchildre will be born in a gulag. How do you decide to a thing like that?). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905/79 "2015-05-17T23:43:34Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I thought I saw this a few days before the Defense Chief story broke. I had thought maybe the story came form this person (who left his wife and kids in that hellhole - his great-grandchildre will be born in a gulag. How do you decide to a thing like that?). I could imagine that in a life environment like NK, some people might end up having a “Everybody save yourselves” attitude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-un-does-it-again-kills-his-defense-chief/719905.md?page=3)