China's spies & Korea's loonies.......

One item of interest is the relatively recent penchant for hacking that is going on. China is credited with being the biggest and possibly the best at getting into American political, military and commercial/industrial information technology vaults. Now, North Korea is credited with doing much the same; at least to institutions in South Korea.

 

Earlier this month, a Chinese citizen working on sensitive rocket data for a NASA sub-contractor, was prevented from leaving the USA because of suspected intelligence he was transporting back to his masters in China. He was reportedly taken right off an airplane destined for Beijing and was found to have various data storage devices with him. Working out of Langley, Virginia, the fellow was alleged to have made previous trips to China carrying classified data.

 

I cannot understand why America needs to hire Chinese citizens to do sensitive rocket science work for us. What happened to all those super-scientists from Germany? Surely they have offspring that followed in their parents professional foot steps. This is not the first time a Chinese citizen has been charged with espionage.

 

I am told that there is a severe shortage of American scientists capable of performing the tasks needed by high technology manufactures and researchers. There must be a number of bright graduates from UK universities who would qualify. All in all, the USA seems to be doing a rather poor job of maintaining high technology security and preventing military and industrial espionage.

 

North Korea is behaving so enigmatically that they are under the US microscope. Their rash proclamations about attacking the USA and South Korea, firing missiles all over the Pacific and Sea of Japan, hacking everything in site, and their renewed nuclear program gives rise to new suspicions about their intentions. In the past, we have taken their unsteady behavior as juvenile and have dismissed it accordingly in favor of more pressing and real problems.

 

Now, the concern is that the Kim  and his boys may decide to put their money where their mouth is. Even their Chinese mentors express frustration at their spoiled brat comportment.

 

It is like a mini cold war all over again.