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WHY? Why kill people exotically? Why not just use a simple garrote with a thin wire? 10 seconds done, the head would be practically off. I am sure you could g

WHY? Why kill people exotically? Why not just use a simple garrote with a thin wire? 10 seconds done, the head would be practically off. I am sure you could get a weird pair of head phones past security. If you poison someone with polonium/exotic nerve agent doesn't it narrow down the suspect pool? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvinenko https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvine...

M_Grey 10y ago
Why do you go so far out of your way to kill someone publically, notoriously, in the first place? Simply having them die is something a state could reasonably accomplish without the publicity, or at least attempt to avoid publicity. When you use a means of assassination which could only have been provided by a state actor... you're sending a message. Nobody ever has to admit that Russia was involved with Litvinenko... the DPRK never has to admit their role with Jon-Nam... the means used speaks for them. That is the point It's thug 101.
NamTaf 10y ago
Because slicing someone's head off requires you to be there, next to them, as it happens. You're standing next to the body as it gargles and bleeds everywhere and security will descend on you in a big way. Wiping someone's face then bailing is something that the target will shrug off as 'some crazy' until some time later it kills them. This buys you time to get out of the place before anyone realises the full extent of what happened. Hence why they're back in Pyongyang, out of the reach of any law enforcement. Pyongyang doesn't really care if the world knows it's them or not. I bet they care much more if they lose their highly trained assassins, though.
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Why do something that's so obvious though? Bump into someone instead and you can accomplish the same thing without a big stunt.
  - rangibaby 10y ago
    It's showing off, importantly, making whoever was protecting Jong Nam (in this case, the PRC) lose face. If someone just wanted to kill him they would have done it "Markov" style and it anything else said could be banished to the realm of plausible conspiracy theories and everyone would go on with their lives (except, well, you know). There is no way of denying what happened in this case. It's like the CIA shooting Snowden to death on Facebook Live to show that the Russian protection there is worthless. Who's next?
- ransom1538 10y ago
  Oh I always imagine North Korea had the assassins family chained up. WTF does it matter if they get back?
  - NamTaf 10y ago
    They're still an expensive and relatively difficult asset to replace. It's not like they're disposable front-line infantry. Assassins presumably have a fair amount of training. If you lose the assassin that's another expense you have to cover. Not to mention the indoctrination required to have someone perform this overseas and come back again.
- rdtsc 10y ago
  I would even say it cares that other dissidents notice and understand exactly who did it. Had this been a robbery or some car accident it would not have been as effective. The message is "we are coming after you"
  - rukuu001 10y ago
    I remember a long time ago ('97) there was a major defection from the North Korean camp to the South. Couple days later, in Seoul, the North Koreans assassinated some other guy who'd defected 10 years earlier. Not only is the message "We're coming for you," but also "you can never feel safe again."
    - dba7dba 10y ago
      I believe you are talking about a distant relative or nephew of the North Korea's Kim family. I believe the victim was actually shot to death in front of his home by someone with a pistol, which was a big news... Touch choice. Stay in North Korea and be dragged off to labor camp or get executed. Or defect and get assassinated years later.
  - justincormack 10y ago
    My local butcher in London was killed by Gadaffi for similar reasons it seems http://www.independent.co.uk/news/gaddafi-hit-squad-linked-to-murder-of-libyan-grocer-1584010.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/gaddafi-hit-squad-linked-t...
_cubi 10y ago
It's far easier to touch someone in public than it is to garotte someone in public and North Korea seemed to think it had some kind of diplomatic right to the body before an autopsy, which would also lead them to believe that their exotic toxin wouldn't be discovered.
tyingq 10y ago
I think showing that it was likely nation state sponsored was the point. Either by North Korea to scream "we can", or some other nation to stir the pot.
InclinedPlane 10y ago
VX can be administered by untrained "assassins", or perhaps ignorant dupes, be easily smuggled across borders and have a very high likelihood of success. The DPRK tried to hide the evidence of the poison by attempting to prohibit medical access to the corpse, but it didn't work. Maybe they thought they could get away with it. Maybe they thought it was worth the risk of being exposed. Maybe they wanted to send a message. Who knows?

M_Grey 10y ago

Why do you go so far out of your way to kill someone publically, notoriously, in the first place? Simply having them die is something a state could reasonably accomplish without the publicity, or at least attempt to avoid publicity. When you use a means of assassination which could only have been provided by a state actor... you're sending a message. Nobody ever has to admit that Russia was involved with Litvinenko... the DPRK never has to admit their role with Jon-Nam... the means used speaks for them. That is the point It's thug 101.

NamTaf 10y ago

Because slicing someone's head off requires you to be there, next to them, as it happens. You're standing next to the body as it gargles and bleeds everywhere and security will descend on you in a big way. Wiping someone's face then bailing is something that the target will shrug off as 'some crazy' until some time later it kills them. This buys you time to get out of the place before anyone realises the full extent of what happened. Hence why they're back in Pyongyang, out of the reach of any law enforcement. Pyongyang doesn't really care if the world knows it's them or not. I bet they care much more if they lose their highly trained assassins, though.

M_Grey 10y ago
Why do something that's so obvious though? Bump into someone instead and you can accomplish the same thing without a big stunt.
- rangibaby 10y ago
  It's showing off, importantly, making whoever was protecting Jong Nam (in this case, the PRC) lose face. If someone just wanted to kill him they would have done it "Markov" style and it anything else said could be banished to the realm of plausible conspiracy theories and everyone would go on with their lives (except, well, you know). There is no way of denying what happened in this case. It's like the CIA shooting Snowden to death on Facebook Live to show that the Russian protection there is worthless. Who's next?
ransom1538 10y ago
Oh I always imagine North Korea had the assassins family chained up. WTF does it matter if they get back?
- NamTaf 10y ago
  They're still an expensive and relatively difficult asset to replace. It's not like they're disposable front-line infantry. Assassins presumably have a fair amount of training. If you lose the assassin that's another expense you have to cover. Not to mention the indoctrination required to have someone perform this overseas and come back again.
rdtsc 10y ago
I would even say it cares that other dissidents notice and understand exactly who did it. Had this been a robbery or some car accident it would not have been as effective. The message is "we are coming after you"
- rukuu001 10y ago
  I remember a long time ago ('97) there was a major defection from the North Korean camp to the South. Couple days later, in Seoul, the North Koreans assassinated some other guy who'd defected 10 years earlier. Not only is the message "We're coming for you," but also "you can never feel safe again."
  - dba7dba 10y ago
    I believe you are talking about a distant relative or nephew of the North Korea's Kim family. I believe the victim was actually shot to death in front of his home by someone with a pistol, which was a big news... Touch choice. Stay in North Korea and be dragged off to labor camp or get executed. Or defect and get assassinated years later.
- justincormack 10y ago
  My local butcher in London was killed by Gadaffi for similar reasons it seems http://www.independent.co.uk/news/gaddafi-hit-squad-linked-to-murder-of-libyan-grocer-1584010.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/gaddafi-hit-squad-linked-t...

_cubi 10y ago

It's far easier to touch someone in public than it is to garotte someone in public and North Korea seemed to think it had some kind of diplomatic right to the body before an autopsy, which would also lead them to believe that their exotic toxin wouldn't be discovered.

tyingq 10y ago

I think showing that it was likely nation state sponsored was the point. Either by North Korea to scream "we can", or some other nation to stir the pot.

InclinedPlane 10y ago

VX can be administered by untrained "assassins", or perhaps ignorant dupes, be easily smuggled across borders and have a very high likelihood of success. The DPRK tried to hide the evidence of the poison by attempting to prohibit medical access to the corpse, but it didn't work. Maybe they thought they could get away with it. Maybe they thought it was worth the risk of being exposed. Maybe they wanted to send a message. Who knows?