Blue House Raid
Encyclopedia
The Blue House Raid was an unsuccessful attempt by North Korean
commandos to assassinate the South Korean President
Park Chung-hee
at the Blue House on January 21, 1968.
of the Korean People's Army
(KPA). This special operation commando unit trained for two years and spent their final 15 days rehearsing action on the objective in a full-scale mock-up of the Blue House.
These specially selected men were trained in infiltration and ex-filtration techniques, weaponry, navigation, airborne operations, amphibious infiltration, hand-to-hand combat (with emphasis on knife fighting), and concealment (one of their concealment techniques was to dig into graves and sleep with any interred remains). As Kim Shin-Jo
, the only surviving commando stated, “It made us fearless—no one would think to look for us in a graveyard.” Their training was difficult and often in adverse conditions, such as running at eight miles an hour with sixty-six pound rucksacks over broken and unforgiving terrain, which sometimes resulted in injuries such as lost toes and feet from frostbite
.
. On January 17, at 23:00, they infiltrated the DMZ
by cutting through the fencing of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division sector and, by 02:00 the next day, they had set up camp at Morae-dong and Seokpo-ri. On January 19, at 05:00, after having crossed the Imjin River
, they set up camp on Simbong Mountain. At 14:00, four brothers named Woo from Beopwon-ri, who were out cutting firewood, stumbled across the Unit's camp. After a fierce debate over whether or not to kill the brothers, it was decided instead to try to indoctrinate them on the alleged benefits of communism and they were released with a stern warning not to notify the police. However, the brothers immediately reported the presence of the unit to the Changhyeon police station in Beopwon-ri.
The unit broke camp and increased their pace to more than ten kilometers per hour, despite carrying thirty kilograms of equipment each, crossing Nogo Mountain and arriving at Bibong Mountain on January 20 at 07:00. Three battalions from the 25th Infantry Division
began searching Nogo Mountain for the infiltrators, but they had already left the area. The unit entered Seoul
in two and three-man cells on the night of January 20 and regrouped at the Seungga-sa Temple, where they made their final preparations for the attack. Meanwhile, the ROK High Command added the 30th Infantry Division and Airborne Corps to the search and police began searching along Hongje-dong
, Jeongreung, and Bukak Mountain. Given the increased security measures that had been implemented throughout the city and realizing their original plan had little chance of success, the team leader improvised a new plan. Changing into ROKA uniforms of the local 26th Infantry Division, complete with the correct unit insignia (which they had brought with them), they formed up and prepared to march the last mile to the Blue House, posing as ROKA soldiers returning from a counter-infiltration patrol. The unit marched along the Segeomjeong Rd near Jahamun toward the Blue House, passing several National Police and ROKA units en route.
, Bibong Mountain, and Uijeongbu
. Police Chief Choi and Assistant-inspector Jung Jong-su were killed in the firefight; one commando was captured but managed to commit suicide. During their escape, members of the unit also killed civilians riding on a bus.
On January 22, the ROKA 6th Corps began a massive sweep operation to capture or kill members of the unit. Soldiers from the 92nd Regiment, 30th Infantry Division captured Kim Shin-Jo
, who had been hiding in a civilian's house near Inwang Mountain. 30th Battalion, Capital Defense Command killed four commandos in Buam-dong
and on Bukak Mountain. On January 23, 26th Infantry Division's Engineer Battalion killed one commando on Dobong Mountain
. On January 24, 26th Infantry Division and 1st Infantry Division
soldiers killed twelve commandos near Seongu-ri. On January 25, three commandos were killed near Songchu. On January 29, six commandos were killed near Papyeong Mountain.
was captured by North Korea.
In response to the assassination attempt, the South Korean government reportedly organized the ill-fated Unit 684
. This group was intended to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung, but was disbanded in 1971.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
commandos to assassinate the South Korean President
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
at the Blue House on January 21, 1968.
Preparations
Thirty-one men were handpicked from the elite all-officer Unit 124Unit 124
Unit 124 was a North Korean Special Operation Forces unit, part of the Reconnaissance Bureau of the Korean People's Army , under the operational control of the Liaison Department of the Worker's Party of Korea....
of the Korean People's Army
Korean People's Army
The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...
(KPA). This special operation commando unit trained for two years and spent their final 15 days rehearsing action on the objective in a full-scale mock-up of the Blue House.
These specially selected men were trained in infiltration and ex-filtration techniques, weaponry, navigation, airborne operations, amphibious infiltration, hand-to-hand combat (with emphasis on knife fighting), and concealment (one of their concealment techniques was to dig into graves and sleep with any interred remains). As Kim Shin-Jo
Kim Shin-Jo
Kim Shin-Jo is the sole survivor of a 31 person team of North Korean commandos sent to assassinate the then president of South Korea, Park Chung Hee, in the 'Blue House Raid' in January 1968. After the failed attempt he was interrogated for a year by the South Korean authorities before being released...
, the only surviving commando stated, “It made us fearless—no one would think to look for us in a graveyard.” Their training was difficult and often in adverse conditions, such as running at eight miles an hour with sixty-six pound rucksacks over broken and unforgiving terrain, which sometimes resulted in injuries such as lost toes and feet from frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
.
Infiltration
On January 16, 1968, Unit 124 left their garrison at YonsanYonsan
Yonsan is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea....
. On January 17, at 23:00, they infiltrated the DMZ
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
by cutting through the fencing of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division sector and, by 02:00 the next day, they had set up camp at Morae-dong and Seokpo-ri. On January 19, at 05:00, after having crossed the Imjin River
Imjin River
The Imjin River is a river of North and South Korea. It flows from North to South, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, very near the Yellow Sea.- History :...
, they set up camp on Simbong Mountain. At 14:00, four brothers named Woo from Beopwon-ri, who were out cutting firewood, stumbled across the Unit's camp. After a fierce debate over whether or not to kill the brothers, it was decided instead to try to indoctrinate them on the alleged benefits of communism and they were released with a stern warning not to notify the police. However, the brothers immediately reported the presence of the unit to the Changhyeon police station in Beopwon-ri.
The unit broke camp and increased their pace to more than ten kilometers per hour, despite carrying thirty kilograms of equipment each, crossing Nogo Mountain and arriving at Bibong Mountain on January 20 at 07:00. Three battalions from the 25th Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division (South Korea)
The 25th Infantry Division , also known as Biryong , was one of three infantry divisions founded near the end of the Korean War. One of the regiment's reconnaissance companies from the 25th infantry division found the North Korean-made 1st infiltration tunnel on November 15, 1974....
began searching Nogo Mountain for the infiltrators, but they had already left the area. The unit entered Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in two and three-man cells on the night of January 20 and regrouped at the Seungga-sa Temple, where they made their final preparations for the attack. Meanwhile, the ROK High Command added the 30th Infantry Division and Airborne Corps to the search and police began searching along Hongje-dong
Hongje-dong
Hongje-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of Seodaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea.- External links :* *...
, Jeongreung, and Bukak Mountain. Given the increased security measures that had been implemented throughout the city and realizing their original plan had little chance of success, the team leader improvised a new plan. Changing into ROKA uniforms of the local 26th Infantry Division, complete with the correct unit insignia (which they had brought with them), they formed up and prepared to march the last mile to the Blue House, posing as ROKA soldiers returning from a counter-infiltration patrol. The unit marched along the Segeomjeong Rd near Jahamun toward the Blue House, passing several National Police and ROKA units en route.
Conflict
At 20:00 on January 21, 1968, the unit approached the Segeomjeong-Jahamun checkpoint less than 100 meters from the Blue House, where Jongro police chief Choi Gyushik approached the unit and began to question them. When he grew suspicious of their answers, he drew his pistol and was shot by members of the unit who started firing and throwing grenades at the checkpoint. After several minutes of shooting, the unit dispersed, with some heading off to Inwang MountainInwangsan
Inwangsan is a mountain with a height of 338 meters, located in Jongno-gu and Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, central areas of Seoul, South Korea. The name literally means "mountain of generous king" in Korean. The mountain covers an area of 1,086,696.50㎡ and has many huge granite peaks which...
, Bibong Mountain, and Uijeongbu
Uijeongbu
Uijeongbu is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.The city is located just north of Seoul with many U.S. and Korean military bases for the defense of the Korean capital. The U.S. Second Infantry Division has established its headquarters in the city with main troops deployed in Dongducheon...
. Police Chief Choi and Assistant-inspector Jung Jong-su were killed in the firefight; one commando was captured but managed to commit suicide. During their escape, members of the unit also killed civilians riding on a bus.
On January 22, the ROKA 6th Corps began a massive sweep operation to capture or kill members of the unit. Soldiers from the 92nd Regiment, 30th Infantry Division captured Kim Shin-Jo
Kim Shin-Jo
Kim Shin-Jo is the sole survivor of a 31 person team of North Korean commandos sent to assassinate the then president of South Korea, Park Chung Hee, in the 'Blue House Raid' in January 1968. After the failed attempt he was interrogated for a year by the South Korean authorities before being released...
, who had been hiding in a civilian's house near Inwang Mountain. 30th Battalion, Capital Defense Command killed four commandos in Buam-dong
Buam-dong, Seoul
Buam-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of Jongno-gu in Seoul, South Korea.-Attraction:A bronze statue of Choi Gyu-sik is located on Jahamun hill near the Buam-dong residential service office...
and on Bukak Mountain. On January 23, 26th Infantry Division's Engineer Battalion killed one commando on Dobong Mountain
Dobongsan
Dobongsan is a mountain in Bukhansan National Park, South Korea. It extends across Seoul, the national capital, and the cities of Yangju and Uijeongbu, in the province of Gyeonggi-do. It has an elevation of . Nearby Dobongsan Station is named for it....
. On January 24, 26th Infantry Division and 1st Infantry Division
1st Infantry Division (South Korea)
The 1st Infantry Division is a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army's I Corps. The division was established on 12 May 1945 under the command of Colonel Suk-won Kim. It is based around three infantry regiments:The division was the first units of the ROK Army to be attacked by the North...
soldiers killed twelve commandos near Seongu-ri. On January 25, three commandos were killed near Songchu. On January 29, six commandos were killed near Papyeong Mountain.
Casualties
During the course of this assassination attempt, South Korean casualties totaled 26 killed and 66 wounded — mainly army and police, but also about two dozen civilians. Four Americans also died in attempts to block the escaping infiltrators from crossing the DMZ. Of the thirty-one members of Unit 124, twenty-nine were killed, one (Kim Shin-Jo) was captured and one was presumed to have escaped back into North Korea.Aftermath
Three days later, January 23, the USS PuebloUSS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
was captured by North Korea.
In response to the assassination attempt, the South Korean government reportedly organized the ill-fated Unit 684
Unit 684
209th Detachment, 2325th Group, commonly known as Unit 684, was a black operation team of Republic of Korea Air Force whose only given task was to assassinate North Korea's premier Kim Il-sung.-Formation:...
. This group was intended to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung, but was disbanded in 1971.
External links
- "A Continuous Nightmare": detailed description of event.
- North Korean Monitor
- North Korea: A New Belligerence
- The Forgotten DMZ
- Recollections of the 1/21 Incident