NORTH KOREA COUNTRY HANDBOOK

Protective Measures Against the Foreign Terrorist Threat
Terrorism may seem like mindless violence committed without logic or
purpose, but it isn’t. Terrorists attack soft and undefended targets, both
people and facilities, to gain political objectives they see as out of reach
by less violent means. Many of today’s terrorists view no one as innocent.
Thus, injury and loss of life are justified as acceptable means to
gain the notoriety generated by a violent act in order to support their
cause.
Because of their distinctive dress, speech patterns, and outgoing personalities,
Americans are often highly visible and easily recognized when
they are abroad. The obvious association of U.S. military personnel with
their government enhances their potential media and political worth as
casualties or hostages. Other U.S. citizens are also at risk, including
political figures, police, intelligence personnel, and VIPs (such as businessmen
and celebrities).
Therefore, you must develop a comprehensive personal security program
to safeguard yourself while traveling abroad. An awareness of the
threat and the practice of security procedures like those advocated in
“Crime Prevention” programs are adequate precautions for the majority
of people. While total protection is impossible, basic common sense
precautions such as an awareness of any local threat, elimination of predictable
travel and lifestyle routines, and security consciousness at your
quarters or work locations significantly reduce the probability of success
of terrorist attacks.
To realistically evaluat e your individual security program, you must
understand how terrorists select and identify their victims. Terrorists
generally classify targets in terms of accessibility, vulnerability, and
political worth (symbolic nature). These perceptions may not be based
on the person’s actual position, but rather the image of wealth or importance
they represent to the public. For each potential target, a risk versus
gain assessment is conducted to determine if a terrorist can victimize
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