The Death Of North Korea's Dictator Reveals A Massive Intelligence Failure On The Part Of The West

In Kim’s Death, an Extensive Intelligence Failure -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Kim Jong-il, the enigmatic North Korean leader, died on a train at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in his country. Forty-eight hours later, officials in South Korea still did not know anything about it — to say nothing of Washington, where the State Department acknowledged “press reporting” of Mr. Kim’s death well after North Korean state media had already announced it.

For South Korean and American intelligence services to have failed to pick up any clues to this momentous development — panicked phone calls between government officials, say, or soldiers massing around Mr. Kim’s train — attests to the secretive nature of North Korea, a country not only at odds with most of the world but also sealed off from it in a way that defies spies or satellites.

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My Comment: Reuters has more information on this intelligence failure. As to what is my opinion .... saying that this is an intelligence failure is an understatement. Kim Jong-il is probably on the top of the list for surveillance and spying ..... both for South Korean, Japanese,Chinese, and U.S. spy agencies. The fact that everyone was clueless until the announcement was made 48 hours later .... is a clear indication that the intelligence community is in the dark when it comes to North Korea's leaders and elites.