Elite US squad to 'infiltrate and spy on North Korea' nuclear program
A squad of undercover James Bond-like spies is being formed to infiltrate North Korea and Kim Jong-un’s nuclear program.
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) hopes the crack spies will feed back intelligence on the dictator’s program, which could unleash a nuclear holocaust on California, The Sun reports.
Doubts remain about North Korea’s true nuclear capabilities, with many experts suggesting their weapons are outdated and incapable of the damage they have been promised to deliver.
“Gathering intelligence through wiretapping and satellite imagery has its limitations, so the missing pieces of the puzzle must be solved through human intelligence,” one military source told Chinese publication, the Cosunilbo.
A South Korean man watches news coverage. Photo: AP
North Korea's true nuclear capabilities have been subjected to much scrutiny. Source: AFP
The 524th Military Intelligence Battalion now hopes the spy squad will fill in the blanks.
“The USFK operates a huge arsenal of weapons and equipment to monitor and spy on North Korea," a government official told chosun.com.
A file photo of North Korean missile testing. Photo: AP
“But its human intelligence capability has been relatively weak, which makes it difficult to gather and analyse accurate information about the North.
“It looks like there was a realisation of the importance of bolstering it.”
Concerns over US citizen
The latest detention of a US citizen by North Korea, the fourth in recent history, is "concerning", a White House spokesman says.
North Korean missiles on display during a recent military parade. Photo: AP
"Obviously, this is concerning. We're well aware of it and we're going to work through the embassy of Sweden ... through our State Department, to seek the release of the individuals there," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday.
Kim Hak Song, who worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, was detained on Saturday on suspicion of "hostile acts" against the state, the North's KCNA news agency said.
