• Burmese
Monday, July 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

When a North Korean Bombing Rocked Yangon

Wei Yan Aung by Wei Yan Aung
October 9, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
The bombing of the Martyrs' Mausoleum in 1983.

The bombing of the Martyrs' Mausoleum in 1983.

12.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON—On this day 36 years ago, South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, who was on an official goodwill visit to Myanmar, survived an assassination attempt orchestrated by North Korea at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Yangon.

A bomb exploded at the mausoleum, killing 17 South Koreans and four Myanmar people and injuring dozens. The South Korean president survived, however, as he had not yet arrived.

The deputy prime minister and four ministers from South Korea as well as the South Korean ambassador to Myanmar were among the victims. A number of independent and government appointed Myanmar journalists were also killed in the attack.

RelatedPosts

Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

July 10, 2025
802
37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

July 3, 2025
1.6k
Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

June 21, 2025
2.6k

After the attack, Burma Socialist Programme Party Chairman and military dictator U Ne Win and Myanmar President U San Yu went to the government guesthouse where Chun Doo-hwan was staying and expressed their sorrow for the bombing. The South Korean President cancelled his trip and returned to Seoul within hours after the assassination attempt.

Three suspected bombers were captured: North Korean military Major Zin Mo and Captain Kang Min Chul were captured in the days after the attack and sentenced to death, while Captain Sin Kae Chol was killed before he could be arrested.

Capt. Kang Min Chul pleaded guilty and his death sentence was reduced to imprisonment. He died in prison of liver cancer in May 2008, at the age of 53.

The attack severed diplomatic ties between the Myanmar and North Korean governments; the two countries only reestablished diplomatic ties in 2008.

Following the attack, Myanmar’s head of military intelligence Colonel Aung Ko was dismissed for negligence of duty and was replaced by General Khin Nyunt, who became infamous for his brutal suppression of political dissidents.

Note: The previous version of this story misstated that Kang Min Chul was released and returned to North Korea. 

You may also like these stories: 

North Korea Upbeat on Trump-Kim Surprise Meeting as a Chance to Push Nuclear Talks

The Day Myanmar’s First President and Prime Minister Were Elected

Your Thoughts …
Tags: HeritageHistoryNorth KoreaOn This DaySouth Korea
Wei Yan Aung

Wei Yan Aung

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Boss Attends Opening of Replica of Shan Palace Demolished by Previous Regime
Burma

Myanmar Junta Boss Attends Opening of Replica of Shan Palace Demolished by Previous Regime

by The Irrawaddy
May 13, 2024
13.3k

The old Kengtung Haw was a symbol of Shan identity until it was razed by the previous junta in 1991—a...

Read moreDetails
Six Key Points About Myanmar’s Newly Enforced Conscription Law
Analysis

Six Key Points About Myanmar’s Newly Enforced Conscription Law

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
11.9k

What does the legislation entail, and why is the junta implementing it for the first time since its promulgation 65...

Read moreDetails
Why Shan State’s Formidable Armies Have Shunned the Fight Against Myanmar’s Junta     
Guest Column

Why Shan State’s Formidable Armies Have Shunned the Fight Against Myanmar’s Junta     

by Bertil Lintner
March 14, 2024
11.6k

After six decades of political wrangling, assassinations and opium trading, Shan forces remain bitterly divided, lacking a common vision for...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand
Guest Column

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand

by R. J. Aung and Tony Waters
November 18, 2023
10.9k

After the 2021 coup the donors, NGOs and CSOs of ‘Peaceland’ decamped from Yangon to Thailand, but their Western, ‘we-know-best’...

Read moreDetails
Once Upon a Time in… Myanmar
Books

Once Upon a Time in… Myanmar

by David Scott Mathieson
October 14, 2024
10.2k

American photojournalist Greg Constantine’s ‘Ek Khaale’ project assembles old photos and documents to reclaim the Rohingya community’s identity.

Read moreDetails
Charting Myanmar Strongman Ne Win’s Tragic Legacy
Books

Charting Myanmar Strongman Ne Win’s Tragic Legacy

by Mon Mon Myat
July 18, 2024
9.9k

In a new book, Saw Eh Htoo and Tony Waters examine the late dictator’s policy of Burmanization and how it...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
A signpost marking Buthidaung Township / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy

Muslim Villager Shot Dead by Army While Going Fishing in Rakhine, Locals Say

A Myanmar army truck is deployed in Hseni Town, Shan State on Oct. 9, 2019. Earlier in the day, a TNLA attack on an army convoy in the town killed three soldiers. / Ying Lao Tai / Facebook

Three Myanmar Soldiers Killed as TNLA Attacks Army Convoy in Northern Shan State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

6 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA Denies Rumor Chief Under House Arrest in China

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.