Blue House raid

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 21 January 1968.

Preparations

The North Koreans specially selected and trained thirty-one men handpicked from the elite Unit 124 of the Korean People's Army. 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 the best that the North Korean Army had to offer. They 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 the bones and dead bodies. As Kim Shin-Jo, the only surviving commando stated, “It made us fearless—no one would think to look for us in a graveyard.” They ran up mountains at eight miles an hour with sixty-six pound rucksacks in broken, unforgiving country. Their training was conducted in adverse weather conditions where some lost toes and feet from frostbite.

The Raid

On 16 January 1968, Unit 124 left their garrison at Yonsan. At 23:00 on 17 January, they infiltrated through the DMZ by cutting through the fencing of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division sector and by 02:00 on 18 January they set up camp at Morae-dong and Seokpo-ri. At 05:00 on 19 January, 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 as to the benefits of communism and they were released with a stern warning not to notify the police. However, the Woo brothers immediately reported the presence of the unit to the Changhyeon police station in Beopwon-ri.

The unit broke camp and increased their pace crossing Nogo Mountain arriving at Bibong Mountain at 07:00 on 20 January. 3 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 and regrouped at the Seungga-sa temple on the night of 20 January 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 Bugak 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.

At 20:00 on 21 January 1968, the unit approached the Segeomjeong-Jahamun checkpoint less than 100 meters from the Blue House, 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 Mountain, Bibong Mtn 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 mambers of the unit also killed civilians riding on a bus.

On 22 January 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 Jin Sho who had been hiding in a civilian's house near Inwang Mtn. 30th Battalion, Capital Defense Command killed 4 commandos in Buam-dong and on Bukak Mountain. On 23 January, 26th Infantry Division's Engineer Battalion killed 1 commando on Dobong Mountain. On 24 January 26th Infantry Division and 1st Infantry Division soldiers killed 12 commandos near Seongu-ri. On 25 January 3 commandos were killed near Songchu. On 29 January 6 commandos killed near Papyeong Mountain.

During the course of this assassination attempt, South Korean casualties totaled 68 killed and 66 wounded — mainly army and police but also about two dozen civilians. Four Americans also died and three were wounded in attempts to block the escaping infiltrators. Of the 31 members of Unit 124, 29 were killed, 1 (Kim Jin-sho) was captured and 1 was presumed to have escaped back to North Korea.

Aftermath

Three days later, January 23, the USS Pueblo 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.

See also

• Korean DMZ Conflict (1966-1969)
• Assassination of Park Chung-hee
• Unit 684

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