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The assassination attempt on South Korean (ROK) President Chun Doo Hwan during a state visit to Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon, Myanmar) in 1983 illustrates the willingness of the North Korean state to engage in state terror not only against its own citizens, but also against the ROK. The authors examine the North Korean state's adoption of covert operations tactics and terrorist activity in an attempt to undermine the ROK, even when its actions have costs in terms of the North's relationship with individual Southeast Asian states. In addition, using newly-released archival material from the British National Archives, the authors examine the 1983 Rangoon Bombing as a case study in North Korean covert operations abroad.
KeyWords: Rangoon bombing, Chun Doo Hwan
I. Introduction
Although contemporary interest is heavily focussed on the international implications of North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, this should not overshadow other provocative aspects of Pyongyang's behaviour in international relations. In this regard, North Korea's track record of overseas covert activities warrants continued study. Whilst Pyongyang has undertaken multiple overseas covert activities over the preceding decades, the 1983 assassination attempt on South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan during a state visit to Rangoon, Burma, is of particular interest, given the brazen nature of the North Korean attempt to assassinate a Republic of Korea (ROK) Head of State on the soil of a country with hitherto friendly ties with Pyongyang.
In seeking to uncover Pyongyang's intentions behind the Rangoon bombing, accurate analysis was hampered by the lack of transparency of the North Korean, and until recently, Burmese state organs. This difficulty required the authors to combine source triangulation and reading in between the lines in attempting to discern Pyongyang's underlying motives in carrying out such a calculated attack on the ROK Government whilst on the territory of a neutral country with hitherto friendly relations with Pyongyang. Additional data for this manuscript was gleaned from Burmese sources and researchers specialising in Burma, along with recently-declassified archival material from the British Foreign Office and the United States (US) State Department. The authors have come to the conclusion that the assassination attempt on Chun was likely orchestrated by Kim Jong Il, son of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, as part of the younger...