Remember Choi Deok-geun? He was the South Korean consular official working in Vladivostok who was found bludgeoned to death outside of his apartment on October 1, 1996, apparently due to a robbery. According to a South Korean chief foreign ministry spokesman named Suh Dae-won, “Consul General Choi Duck-kuen was attacked by unidentified men on the stairs of his residence and he was killed on the spot.” According to the New York Times, Choi was walking up to his apartment on the seventh floor when he was hit on the head and stabbed twice with something sharp. A woman witnessed two men with Asian complexions on the stairs just prior to Choi’s death. At least that is what it appeared to be.
However, it was soon discovered Choi still had $1,200 in his wallet and had two pencil-sized holes in his torso. Considering North Korea had swore revenge for their failed submarine infiltration attempt off the coast of Gangneung (rokdrop’s excellent posting) just two weeks earlier (video of the sub now) - the death became very suspicious. There was some suspicion that he was killed by the Russian mafia (Korean Link) but apparently the Russian police finally came to the conclusion that the North Koreans were responsible for what they were still deeming as a “clubbing and stabbing” and that “robbery was apparently not the motive.”
The Korean National Institute of Scientific Investigation determined that Choi, once again identified as a South Korean consul, was killed, allegedly, by a North Korean agent who poisoned Choi with a needle. This overturned the Russian authorities’ conclusion that he had been killed by a blow to the head. In fact, the poison was the same type carried by the North Korean submarine infiltrators.
Naturally North Korea denied they had anything to do with Choi’s death and the North Korean consulate in Nakhodka (near Vladivostok) sent three representatives to protest the press linking North Korea to the murder. What was the motive? Many were convinced that the North Koreans had exacted their revenge against South Korea for discovering the North’s attempted submarine infiltration but there is another theory for the attack. According to Eurasia in the 21st century: the total security enviroment, Choi’s murder may have been an effort by North Korea to embarrass the Russian government for selling tanks and armored vehicles as part of their debt repayment.
But who was Choi? According to Bertil Linter in his book, Blood Brothers: crime, business and politics in Asia, Choi was the arts and culture consul. But another report seems to give us a clearer picture of Choi’s duties – he was responsible for North Korean affairs at the consulate and, ironically, security. Lintner acknowledges that Choi’s title was merely cover for his work as an intelligence officer keeping tabs on North Korea’s involvement in drug trafficing and counterfeiting American dollars.
Apparently Linter was right on the money because according to the Donga Ilbo (English): The security exhibition hall of the National Intelligence Service in Seoul has a slate with 46 stars engraved. What each star represents is found in a tower standing at the foot of a mountain near the main entrance of headquarters. Inside the tower is a black slate with the names of 46 agents together with the phrase “Precious souls buried in the nation’s heart.” The stars represent agents killed in the line of duty since the days of the (South) Korea Central Intelligence Agency, the former name of the spy authority.
One of those names is Choi Deok-geun. Apparently wikipedia needs to update their posting.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Best post I’ve ever read here. Nice work.
Good article. So much goes on that the public doesn’t hear much about.
An interesting and informative post. Thanks!
I recall that murder because of the confusing news coverage in which the details kept changing. In the first report, the KT and KH published stories with identical wording except for one detail: the race/nationality of the killers. One paper reported the men looked Russian while the other reported the men looked North Korean.
I agree; terrific post. I’m also very impressed by Bertil Linter. He’s a first-rate investigative journalist. Linter is also the guy who found and photographed those North Korean-built tunnels under Burma’s new “capital.” I may have to pick up his book.
I agree. Good puzzle-piecing-together hgyere by Neff.
If only we could clarify the spelling of the Swedish journalist’s name. Neff uses two spellings, and so does the article by Linter/Lintner linked by Joshua above!
God – I am getting sloppy.
According to this artile the proper spelling is Bertil Lintner. You can even see his picture.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16019
I am a fan of his work as well. Enjoyed “Great Leader, Dear Leader” very much.
Thank you, Robert.
Lang niet gezien, hamel!
Prettige kerstdagen en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
You must log in to post a comment.