In brief
Kim Shin-jo, once a North Korean commando sent to eliminate South Korea's Park Chung-hee, later became an anti-Communist pastor.
Kim Shin-jo, the sole captured member of a North Korean hit squad dispatched to assassinate then-South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee in 1968, has passed away at the age of 82. His death was confirmed by the Sungrak Church in Seoul, where he had been serving as a pastor, attributing his demise to old age.In January 1968, Kim and 30 other commandos embarked on a perilous mission, infiltrating the fortified border between North and South Korea and traveling through enemy territory to reach Seoul. Their objective was clear: eliminate President Park and his entourage. Despite making it dangerously close to Park’s presidential office, the group was intercepted by South Korean forces, leading to a violent confrontation. Most of Kim's partners perished during the mission; only he and another comrade survived, with the other believed to have escaped back to North Korea.After surrendering, Kim famously stated, "We came to slit President Park Chung-hee's throat." His capture and subsequent transformation into a vehement anti-Communist lecturer and Christian minister highlighted a dramatic shift in his life. The failed assassination attempt, alongside North Korea's capture of the USS Pueblo shortly after, underscored escalating Cold War tensions on the peninsula.In response to the attack, the Park administration initiated retaliatory measures, including the covert training of its own assassins to target Kim Il-sung, the then-leader of North Korea. Such efforts led to significant national security reforms, including the creation of a reservist army and the introduction of mandatory military training in educational institutions, as well as the implementation of a 13-digit identification system still in use today for South Koreans aged 17 and older. Kim's life journey serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of conflict in a divided Korea.
