Too Much About The NIE

For the true insomniac, I opine on one of this week's kerfuffles about intel. I used almost as many words as Franklin Foer took to say "Oops", too.

Fatal Attack on ROK Marines in Korea

Two South Korean Marines were walking back to their camp after completing a guard shift on an island outpost near the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea when a speeding SUV struck the two soldiers from behind. The driver of the SUV proceeded to exit the vehicle and attack the two Marines with a knife and steal their weapons, ammunition, and grenades before speeding off in the vehicle. One of the Marines died and the other is in critical condition at the hospital.

A manhunt was launched for the killer and his vehicle was later found torched in a field outside a city an hour south of Seoul. The torched vehicle was found to be stolen and it is suspected that the killer has accomplices that are aiding his escape. For those that don't know, Korea has strict gun control laws and it is extremely difficult to get weapons into the country. In the past criminal gangs have launched attacks against ROK soldiers to gain weapons to commit crimes such as bank robberies with.

This attack is different because it appears to be sophisticated because of the fact that the killer knew the guard change times and had an elaborate escape plan. Due to the timing, Korean media speculation is mounting that the attack was launched by pro-North Korean agents seeking to gain weapons to assassinate the leading conservative presidential candidate. South Korea's presidential election happens in about two weeks and the conservative candidate Lee Myung-bak is leading by a large margin in the polls and has promised a tougher stance in relations with North Korea. Threats of assassination attempts against Lee have circulated for months. Just last year two crazed South Korean leftists attacked and nearly killed the then leading conservative candidate Park Geun-hye.

The suspect's vehicle in this recent incident was dumped in an area that is only a short drive from where Lee Myung-bak was making a public campaign stop. Lee was taken by security from the area before making his public appearance and has currently canceled all campaign events until the killers are captured. The South Korean military remains at the highest state of alert that has only been issued in the past when prior North Korean agents had infiltrated the country.

Pictures and a whole lot more information can be found here.