NORTH Korea has disappeared 20 crack troops after Kim Jong-Un’s “safety was seriously threatened” when they broke one simple rule.
The soldiers were arrested for breaching safety protocols when the dictator observed exercises at their special forces base in September.
AFPA group of elite soldiers have been disappeared after allegedly endangering Kim Jong-Un’s life in September 2024[/caption]
Credit: Pen NewsKim Jong-un visiting the special forces base for live-fire exercises at the time the incident occurred[/caption]
Credit: Pen NewsKim watches on as his troops demonstrate martial arts[/caption]
A Pyongyang source said the arrested men had looked towards the tyrant while armed, “potentially endangering the leader’s life”.
“This led to a situation where Chairman Kim’s safety was seriously threatened in an instant,” according to the Daily NK newspaper.
Now the men have vanished and their families have been sent death notices, with one set of parents who enquired after their son also disappearing.
The source said: “Glancing towards the supreme leader during live-fire exercises is risky and could lead to accidents.
“Kim’s security personnel harshly criticised the soldiers for such inappropriate behaviour.
“It was such a major problem that they unnerved even Kim’s security team, especially since they knew about the visit and had rehearsed.
“This led to accusations of insincere attitudes during the drill.”
In propaganda photos of the visit, a grinning Kim can be seen watching his troops put through their paces.
Pictures capture armed men storming a building, taking target practice, and engaged in a shirtless martial arts performance.
At the time, a regime mouthpiece said Kim was “assured and proud to see the soldiers” and gave them “high praise and great honour”.
In reality, the dictator reportedly complained of the soldiers’ posture during the exercises, and blamed their commanders.
The source noted that the commanders would “likely face severe punishment” for such mistakes made in front of the supreme leader and that Kim would have final say on such punishment.
In a subsequent update, the source said the missing men would never return home, but would be transferred to “quarantine areas”.
They added that the families had been sent death notices to conceal the decision.
One set of parents from Sariwon, 40 miles south of Pyongyang, reportedly questioned the official narrative and went to the capital to investigate.
They too disappeared, according to Daily NK, which is based in neighbouring South Korea.
Credit: Pen NewsThe dictator rigorously inspects the elite troops[/caption]
Credit: Pen NewsKim’s bodyguards (back left and far right) wore blue tactical attire and carried assault rifles for the visit[/caption]
Credit: Pen NewsThe visit reportedly left the supreme leader furious with commanders[/caption]
Credit: Pen NewsThe arrested troops (not pictured) are said to have been punished for looking toward Kim while armed[/caption]
Officials then cleared out their home, telling neighbours that the house had been reassigned to someone else.
A source said: “They didn’t even die fighting for their country, so is it right for their families to be wiped out because of a single mistake made during shooting practice?”
TAKE THE BLAME
Michael Madden, an expert on the country’s elite and founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, said it looked like Kim’s bodyguards passing the buck.
He said: “This seems to be a case of sh** rolling downhill.
“Kim Jong-un’s security detail may not have made adequate preparations, but Special Operations Forces are intended to take the blame.”
He continued: “His bodyguards pride themselves on preparations and in this case something interfered with that.
“They need to justify their role and power which means they will do anything to retain that authority.
“If it’s their fault they will assign blame to other individuals or institutions to avoid accepting culpability.”
Mr Madden, a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC, also noted how Kim’s bodyguards wore blue tactical attire and carried assault rifles for the visit.
Usually they’d wear suits and ties.
“We might interpret that as evidence that there were security concerns,” he said.
As for the true fate of the detained men, they could pay the ultimate price.
He said: “If they fell on their swords and accepted responsibility then they got off with hard labour.
“On the other hand they could have been executed.
“I would point out, however, that this cohort was getting prepped for deployment to Russia.
“So they may have been deployed and are expected to redeem themselves in battle as compensation.”
The news of the disappeared troops comes after two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight 500-pound bombs on a small town during a military drill with the US on Thursday.
The catastrophic mistake injured at least 15 people in Pocheon, a city near the border with North Korea.
Credit: Pen NewsThe homes of the disappeared soldiers have been cleared out and their families handed death notices[/caption]
AFPKim carries out more inspections as he visits the Kang Kon Military Academy in Pyongyang in February 2025[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
