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283:, who immediately reported them to the local police. Unit 124, aware that security forces in Seoul were alerted to their presence, changed into uniforms of the local ROKA 26th Infantry Division and broke into groups of 2 to 3 men. The unit evaded detection from police and ROKA until 10 p.m. on January 21, when they were questioned at a checkpoint on
237:. The specially recruited men of Unit 124 received two years of rigorous training for the operation to cross into South Korea and reach and kill Park, including two weeks of rehearsing action on the objective in a full-scale
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less than 100 meters from the Blue House. Unit 124 was detected when the local police chief, suspicious of their answers, drew his pistol at them and was subsequently shot, prompting a shootout and widespread
315:. Although Unit 124 was believed to have been disbanded after the raid, it has been succeeded by the KPA's Special Battalions, part of the Reconnaissance Agency, formed to conduct intelligence gathering,
303:, was captured and divulged information on the raid to the South Korean authorities during interrogation for a year before being released and becoming a South Korean citizen. Just one member of the unit,
275:. On 19 January, Unit 124 crossed the Imjin River and marched undetected through rural Gyeonggi towards Seoul until the early afternoon when they encountered four civilians near Beopwon, a village 7
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against North Korea. By 1967, the North Korean leadership concluded that Park's domestic opposition no longer constituted a serious challenge to his rule due to his
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However, the North Korean leadership believed that killing Park would cause political turmoil in South Korea, creating an environment for a
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The founding date of Unit 124 is unknown but the unit is known to have been active for at least two years before
January 1968.
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The Blue House raid failed and 29 of the 31 members of Unit 124 were killed by South Korean security forces or had committed
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307:, made it back to North Korea and went on to become a general in the Korean People's Army, a Vice Minister in the
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The disbandment date of Unit 124 is believed to be
January 1968 but this is unconfirmed.
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who faced significant domestic opposition and from 1966 was engaged in the
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Scenes from an
Unfinished War: Low intensity conflict in Korea 1966-1969
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and success in the presidential and legislative elections that year.
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On 17 January 1968, Unit 124 successfully penetrated the DMZ into
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428:"January 1968: Assassins storm Seoul; US spyship seized"
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against the South Korean government, similar to the
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Unit 124 was established from thirty-one handpicked
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151:assassinate South Korean President Park Chung Hee
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271:(ROKA), and camped on the west bank of the
259:province of South Korea, undetected by the
16:North Korean Special Operation Forces unit
385:. Diane Publishing Co. p. Figure 3.
410:"A would-be assassin builds a new life"
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147:North Korean Special Operation Forces
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64:North Korean Special Operation Force
430:. The Korea Times. 24 January 2010.
325:abduction operations in South Korea
193:, in his official residence at the
225:revolution and a North Korean-led
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309:Ministry of People's Armed Forces
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450:Military history of North Korea
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337:209th Detachment, 2325th Group
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455:Special forces of North Korea
177:, specifically to infiltrate
299:by 29 January. One member,
233:technique occurring in the
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191:President of South Korea
381:Bolger, Daniel (1991).
269:Republic of Korea Army
185:(DMZ) and assassinate
265:2nd Infantry Division
414:Korea JoongAng Daily
171:Korean People's Army
311:, and assistant to
241:of the Blue House.
212:Korean DMZ Conflict
173:(KPA), the army of
112:Korean DMZ Conflict
416:. 4 November 2009.
261:United States Army
183:Demilitarized Zone
392:978-0-7881-1208-9
157:in January 1968.
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145:unit of the
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313:Kim Jong-il
301:Kim Shin-jo
273:Imjin River
235:Vietnam War
181:across the
179:South Korea
175:North Korea
108:Engagements
98:Garrison/HQ
48:North Korea
30:1966 β 1968
444:Categories
368:References
277:kilometers
227:insurgency
195:Blue House
149:formed to
321:terrorism
317:espionage
223:communist
161:Formation
331:See also
279:east of
267:and the
257:Gyeonggi
208:dictator
204:de facto
167:officers
141:) was a
131:Unit 124
22:Unit 124
297:suicide
290:manhunt
169:of the
153:in the
35:Country
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285:Jongro
239:mockup
189:, the
135:Korean
102:Yonsan
55:Branch
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27:Active
344:Notes
199:Seoul
139:124λΆλ
387:ISBN
323:and
281:Paju
90:Size
80:Role
70:Type
263:'s
197:in
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401:^
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133:(
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