North Korea Accuses the U.S. and South Korea of Plotting to Assassinate Its Leader

On Friday, the North Korean government accused the intelligence agencies of the United States and South Korea of an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un, the leader of the country, using biochemical weapons. According to the Associated Press, the North Korean Ministry of Security issued a statement published in the country's media, threatening that it would 'hunt down and destroy the terrorists of the CIA and the South Korean intelligence agency for their assassination attempt on the leader of this country.' North Korea has consistently attacked the U.S. and South Korea in various forms, but the accusations made on Friday, given their details, are significantly different from past verbal attacks and accusations. The North Korean Ministry of Security claimed that the U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies had 'ideologically corrupted and bribed' a North Korean citizen working in Russia in June 2014 to carry out this assassination upon his return to the country. The ministry added that South Korean spies provided this individual with money and satellite communication devices to attack Kim Jong Un with biochemical weapons at a public gathering. The radioactive materials or very small toxic contents of such weapons usually affect the victim with a delay. According to North Korea's claims, after several contacts and payments from South Korean spies, they finally told this North Korean citizen last month that a decision had been made regarding the contents of the biochemical weapon, and CIA agents would deliver it to him. In another part of the statement, the North Korean Ministry of Security stated that in response to this plot, 'anti-terrorist attacks in the North Korean manner will begin from this moment to destroy the security organizations and conspirators of American imperialism and its puppet regime (South Korea).' The Associated Press noted that the South Korean National Security Office did not respond to repeated inquiries from the news agency regarding this news. The statement from the North Korean Ministry of Security comes during a period of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, attributed to concerns over the country's nuclear and missile tests, including the possibility of testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. Such actions represent a significant step by North Korea towards its goal of producing a type of missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads that can target U.S. territory. A few months ago, the North Korean government was accused of using the toxic VX substance to assassinate Kim Jong Un's half-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport. This action prompted many in the U.S. to call for the government to place North Korea on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In this context, the U.S. House of Representatives passed new sanctions against North Korea. 'U.S.-China negotiations' are underway to determine an appropriate response to North Korea, while China has called for an immediate halt to U.S. missile shield operations in South Korea. Trump has expressed conditional readiness to meet with the North Korean leader, and a Japanese destroyer has been dispatched to accompany an American ship in the region. Trump stated that North Korea ignored China's demands with its latest missile test.