South Korean plane bombed by North Korea 30 years before Olympics

On November 29, 1987, Korean Air Flight 858 exploded in mid-air after North Korean agents planted a bomb in the overhead compartment. The plane was en route from Iraq to South Korea, making two stops in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bangkok, Thailand.

"I was informed by a senior official that before the Olympics in Seoul, we would attack a South Korean passenger plane," said Kim Hyon-hui, one of two North Korean agents who carried out the attack, according toBBC"He said it would create chaos and anxiety in South Korea."

Kim and his accomplice boarded the plane in Baghdad and planted the bomb. When the plane stopped in Abu Dhabi, two North Korean agents got off the plane and fled. Hours later, the bomb exploded while the plane was flying over the Andaman Sea, killing all 115 people on board, including 113 Koreans and two foreigners.

After the attack, the two North Korean agents attempted to fly from Abu Dhabi to Amman, Jordan, but visa problems forced them to fly to Bahrain, where they intended to travel to Rome. However, their passports were discovered to be fake at the Bahrain airport. Realizing that they were about to be arrested, both attempted suicide by swallowing cyanide hidden in cigarettes. The male agent, Kim Sung-il, died, but the female agent, Kim Hyon-hui, survived.

Kim Hyon-hui was brought back to South Korea for questioning. She initially claimed to be a Chinese orphan who grew up in Japan and denied any involvement in the attack. However, South Korean authorities pointed to evidence against Kim that the cigarettes she was carrying were of the type used by North Korean spies arrested in South Korea.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, South Korean representative Choi Young Jin said that after eight days of interrogation, Kim Hyon-hui watched a film about life in South Korea and realized that the streets of Seoul were completely different from what she had been taught.

Kim Hyon-hui later admitted to carrying out the bombing. "When I confessed, I was very reluctant. I thought my family in North Korea would be in danger. It was a big decision but I realized it was the right thing to do for the victims, so they could understand the truth."

The spy told investigators that when she was 16, she was selected by the Workers' Party of Korea and trained in foreign languages. Three years later, she was sent to a secret military spy school that included a rigorous physical and mental training program. The spy had been preparing for the attack for three years.

In 1989, Kim Hyon-hui was sentenced to death but was pardoned by South Korean President Roe Tae-Woo. She later married a South Korean intelligence officer and had two children. Kim has no news of her family in North Korea.

The US State Department called the bombing a "terrorist act" and placed North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism until 2008. North Korea was put back on the list in 2017.

The incident was discussed at least two meetings of the UN Security Council, but no resolution was adopted. North Korea denied being behind the attack, saying it was a fabrication by South Korea and other countries.

South Korea is hosting the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang this year. In his New Year's speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un suggested easing tensions between the two sides and sending North Korean athletes to South Korea. The two sides will hold formal talks on January 9.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said North Korea's participation would ensure the safety of the Pyeongchang Olympics. "Kim's remarks were a response to our proposal to turn the Pyeongchang Olympics into a historic opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations and establish peace," Moon said.