[KoreaUrbanLegend] 1976 Seoul UFO incident
1976 Seoul UFO incident
On October 14, 1976, between 6 PM and 8 PM, a UFO close encounter incident occurred in the Gangbuk area of Seoul, South Korea. This incident is also known as the "Cheongwadae UFO Incident" because the flying object entered the airspace over the Blue House (Cheongwadae). The South Korean military attempted to shoot down the object, but failed, making it a notable case of using force in a UFO close encounter, similar to the Battle of Los Angeles.
Incident Progress
On the evening of October 14, citizens discovered dozens of strange flying objects illuminating the sky over Seoul. These objects emitted bright lights and slowly moved south in a semicircular formation. There is testimony that Lee Soo-man, who was hosting the MBC radio show "Full of Youth" at the time, received real-time reports and announced this fact on the radio, but due to data loss, the exact facts are difficult to verify. The objects were estimated to have hovered over Seoul for about 1-2 hours.
Around 5:30 PM, the South Korean military immediately issued two warning broadcasts through 121.5 MHz and 125.3 MHz and entered emergency response mode when unidentified flying objects entered the P-73C airspace over Seoul. At that time, flying in the P-73 area of Seoul required very strict procedures, but the objects appeared without prior notice.
As the objects approached 2NM (3.704 km) ahead of the P-73B area, the 1st Air Defense Brigade of the Capital Defense Command fired the first warning shots. When the objects invaded the P-73B area and headed towards the P-73A area, adjacent to the Blue House, the 15th Special Missions Wing scrambled F-5A and F-5E fighters. Around 6:15 PM, anti-aircraft guns, presumed to be KM167A3 20mm Vulcan cannons, fired for the first time, and citizens witnessed orange tracer bullets cutting through the sky.
Despite flying at low speed and low altitude, the objects were not shot down and continued to maintain their formation while emitting bright lights. The first attempt to shoot down the objects ended around 6:20 PM. When the objects turned back towards the P-73A area around 6:37 PM, a second attempt was made, but the objects retreated northwest after a few minutes. During this process, stray bullets from the anti-aircraft guns killed one citizen and injured 31 others.
Cause and Analysis
At the time, the Park Chung-hee government maintained a hostile relationship with North Korea, and tensions in Northeast Asia were high due to incidents such as the Panmunjom Axe Murder Incident and the defection of a Soviet pilot to Japan. It is unclear whether the unidentified flying objects were actual UFOs or a Northwest Airlines civilian aircraft, but it is confirmed that Northwest Airlines nearly violated the P-73B airspace.
According to declassified US congressional records, Seoul Departure Control misdirected a Northwest Airlines aircraft flying in the P-73C area, but the aircraft returned to its normal route. However, comparing the response times of the Ministry of National Defense and the communication records of Seoul Departure Control and Northwest Airlines, it is presumed that the UFO and the Northwest Airlines aircraft were different entities.
Aftermath
The National Defense Committee of the National Assembly reported that a Boeing 707 had deviated from its route. The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Transportation announced that a Northwest Airlines Boeing 707 cargo charter mistakenly entered the no-fly zone over the Blue House, prompting warning shots. However, eyewitness accounts from citizens suggest that it was not a Boeing 707.
In 2020, the TV program "Unanswered Questions" covered this incident, highlighting the government's concealment issues. In 2023, the incident was re-examined overseas following David Grusch's UFO whistleblowing, with Steven Greer's testimony claiming that a secret facility in the outskirts of Seoul was hiding a large flying saucer, which he linked to the Seoul UFO shootdown attempt.
