[KoreaCase] Blue House raid

Blue House raid


 The 1·21 Incident (also known as the Kim Shin-jo Incident) occurred on January 21, 1968, when 31 armed soldiers from North Korea's 124th Unit attempted to assassinate President Park Chung-hee by infiltrating the Blue House, but the attempt failed. On the night of January 17, the infiltrators crossed the Demilitarized Zone and reached near the Blue House by 9:30 PM on January 21. When they were discovered by police during a routine checkpoint near Cheongun-dong, a gunfight ensued. A joint military and police operation was carried out to capture them. In the end, 29 of the 31 infiltrators were killed, one escaped to North Korea, and one was captured alive. During this operation, 30 civilians were killed, and 52 were injured.

As a result of the incident, South Korea created the Civil Defense Reserve, the Army 3rd Military Academy, the Combat Police Force, and the 684th Unit. Civilian access to the areas near the Blue House, including Inwangsan and Bukaksan, was restricted for enhanced security. Schools also introduced military training for students. Although North Korea denied any involvement in the attack, the captured infiltrator Kim Shin-jo shocked the public when he revealed in a television interview that their mission was to "cut off President Park’s head."



Background: In 1965, South Korea joined the Vietnam War, leading to heightened military tensions. North Korea took advantage of this situation and intensified its operations against South Korea. The 124th Unit, formed in April 1967, prepared for a large-scale attack, with the final target being the Blue House. The 31-man special forces team infiltrated South Korea on January 17, 1968, but their operation was thwarted when police discovered them. Afterward, a manhunt led to the deaths of most of the infiltrators, with one fleeing to North Korea and one surrendering.

North Korea denied responsibility but later purged several high-ranking officials within its regime. Despite this failure, North Korea continued its hostile actions, including the hijacking of the U.S. Navy's Pueblo ship on January 23, 1968. In South Korea, President Park declared a policy of national security priority, leading to the creation of military units and the restriction of civilian access to areas around the Blue House.

Following the incident, the South Korean government secretly formed the 684th Unit to plan retaliatory attacks, but the operation was canceled due to improved relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The 1·21 Incident further deepened military tensions between North and South Korea.

Popular posts from this blog

[일본] 빨간 마스크

[KoreaCase] Korean Air Fokker F27 hijacking attempt

[일본] 1985년 일본의 크리넥스 광고