tycho wrote:It wasn't a botched operation.
Everything went on just as planned. If you think about it, how far can the game go? As long as a body can't be produced then it's a complicated legal process that most countries and organizations will have to back down from.
And someone will have a firm grip on power.
It was sloppy in that there is CCTV footage showing him entering the Consulate and not leaving. The other sloppy part is asking staff to take the day off. So even if the body is not found his whereabouts at the time of his disappearance can be traced directly to the Saudis.
Contrast this with the North Koreans. They made their plans so elaborately that in all the official documentation they are untouchable. A guy died at the airport of a heart attack. It is alleged he was poisoned. Those who may have poisoned him were clearly captured on CCTV. They were apprehended and are being tried. None of them is from North Korea or has any connection to North Korea. One of them is from Indonesia, the other is from Vietnam. A judge has ruled there is sufficient evidence to prosecute them. The North Koreans got the body back through official channels.
If the worst came to the worst those North Korean operatives allegedly mentioned could just be killed if they have not already been killed and records could show that they were dangerous criminals who had committed multiple crimes in North Korea. Alternatively they could just disappear from all known official records and no one could prove that they even ever existed.
Young Kim is the ultimate Supreme leader. The message to his enemies at home is absolutely clear; Do not mess with me, I can get you anywhere in the world and still go shake hands with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.