Saturday, December 24, 2011

U.S. Intelligence Agencies Are In The Dark When it Comes To North Korea

North Korean military personnel pay their respects to Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. U.S. officials apparently were unaware for 51 hours that he died on Dec. 17, until the death was announced on North Korean TV. (Korean Central News Agency / December 24, 2011)

North Korea Is A Tough Target For U.S. Intelligence Agencies -- L.A. Times

The lack of modern communications in secretive North Korea makes it hard for the CIA to get information. At the same time, Pyongyang is sophisticated enough to wage cyber warfare.

Reporting from Washington — Robert Egan has a pretty good feel for how desperate the CIA is for scraps of information about North Korea.

Egan has served barbecue to North Korean diplomats at his restaurant in Hackensack, N.J., for 15 years, and he has visited Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, several times. He also has fed details about his customers to U.S. authorities, even plucking stray hairs off their suits so American officials could trace the DNA. Not surprising, he has found FBI surveillance equipment hidden in his office.

Read more ....

My Comment:
The CIA is not the only agency hungry for information on North Korea. I would also add South Korea, Japan, Russia, and maybe even China.

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