Korean Submarine Incident (1996)

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The stranded submarine, 1996

The military incident involving a submarine belonging to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in September 1996 strained relations between the two Korean states and preoccupied the UN Security Council .

incident

In the early morning of September 18, 1996, a North Korean Navy submarine that ran aground on rocks was discovered on the east coast of South Korea and the South Korean military was alerted. It was a Sang-o-class submarine .

While searching the premises, the military arrested North Korean Lieutenant Lee Kwang Soo. A short time later, eleven North Koreans were found dead a few kilometers away who had been shot by their own people with an assault rifle. The South Korean military was looking for the remaining 14 crew members. By November 5, 13 others had been found and shot during an exchange of fire with South Korean security forces. 12 South Korean soldiers and 4 civilians were killed and another 27 South Koreans were injured. The fate of the 14th North Korean is unknown.

Reactions and consequences

According to the North Korean government, the ship was damaged due to an engine failure. They asked for the boat and the bodies to be handed over. According to the first lieutenant, the submarine, which was manned by 23 men, was supposed to drop three agents on the South Korean coast and resume after a two-day espionage mission, but it ran aground during the second attempt by the three agents.

The incident was discussed by the UN Security Council on October 15, 1996 at its 3,704th session. He expressed his concern. South Korea and the US stopped their food shipments to North Korea. In late 1996, the Pyongyang government finally apologized .

Submarine

Sang-oU-Boot in Tongil Park, 2012

The submarine can now be viewed in Tongil Park (Reunification Park ) near Gangneung on the South Korean Pacific coast.

literature

  • Thomas J. Belke: Incident at Kangnung: North Korea's ill-fated submarine incursion. In: Submarine Review , No. 18/1997, April 1997

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ North Korean Special Operations Forces: 1996 Kangnung submarine infiltration . In: Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin
  2. Tongil Park (Unification Park) ( English ) gn.go.kr. Retrieved January 4, 2020.