List of border incidents involving North Korea

The following is a partial list of border incidents involving North Korea since the armistice of July 27, 1953 froze large scale military action of the Korean War. Most of these incidents took place near either the Korean Demilitarized Zone or the Northern Limit Line. This list includes engagements on land, air, and sea, but does not include alleged incursions and terrorist incidents that occurred away from the border.

Many of the incidents occurring at sea are due to border disputes. The North claims jurisdiction over a large area south of the "de facto" western maritime border, the Northern Limit Line. As this is prime fishing area, clashes are common. In addition, the North claims its territorial waters extend for convert|50|nmi|km|-1 from the coast, rather than the convert|12|nmi|km|0 recognized by other countries.

1950s

1960s

*April 27, 1965 – Two North Korean MiG-17s attack a United States EC-121 Warning Star reconnaissance plane above the Sea of Japan, 80 km (50 miles) from the North Korean shore. The aircraft was damaged, but managed to land at Yokota Air Base, Japan. [cite web |url=http://users.skynet.be/Emmanuel.Gustin/faq/shotdowns.html |title=Cold War Shootdowns |accessdate=2007-12-09] cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30004.pdf |title=North Korean Provocative Actions, 1950 - 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-09 |date=2007-04-20 |format=PDF |publisher=United States Congress]

*January 17, 1968 – In an incident known as the Blue House Raid, a 31-man detachment from the Korean People's Army secretly crosses the DMZ on a mission to kill South Korean President Park Chung-hee on January 21, nearly succeeding. The incursion was discovered after South Korean civilians confronted the North Koreans and informed the authorities. After entering Seoul disguised as South Korean soldiers, the North Koreans attempt to enter the Blue House (the official residence of the President of South Korea). The North Koreans are confronted by South Korean police and a firefight ensued. The North Koreans fled Seoul and individually attempted to cross the DMZ back to North Korea. Of the original group of 31 North Koreans, 28 were killed, one was captured, and two are unaccounted for. Additionally, 68 South Korean were killed and 66 were wounded, the majority of whom were soldiers and police officers. Three American soldiers were also killed and three were wounded. [cite book |last=Daniel |first=Bolger |title=Scenes from an Unfinished War: Low-Intensity Conflict in Korea, 1966-1968 |url=http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolger/bolger.asp |accessdate=2007-12-10 |publisher=Command and General Staff College |chapter=3: A Continuous Nightmare |chapterurl=http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/scenes/scen_c3.pdf]

*January 23, 1968 – The United States Naval ship the USS "Pueblo" is boarded and captured, along with its crew, by North Korean forces in the Sea of Japan, in international waters. The entire crew of 83 is captured, with the exception of one sailor killed in the initial attack on the vessel, and the vessel is taken into North Korean waters. All the captives were released on December 23 of the same year via the Bridge of No Return at the DMZ. The USS "Pueblo" is still in North Korean possession and is docked in Pyongyang and is on display as a museum ship. [cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p13/pueblo-iii.htm |title="Pueblo" |work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships |accessdate=2007-12-10 |publisher=United States Navy]

*October 30, 1968 – From October 30 to November 2, 120 to 130 North Korean commandos land on the northeast shore of South Korea, allegedly to wage a guerilla war against the South Korean government. A total of 110 to 113 were killed, seven were captured, and 13 escaped. Around 20 South Korean civilians, law enforcment officers, and soldiers were killed. [cite web |url=http://www.koreascope.org/tt/eNorthKoreaToday/entry/filtration-of-North-Korean-Commando-Troops-into-Ulchin-Samchok-Area |title=filtration of North Korean Commando Troops into Ulchin-Samchok Area |accessdate=2007-12-12 |date=2006-08-31 |publisher=Koreascope]

*March 1969: Six North Korean commandos kill a South Korean police officer near Jumunjin, Gangwon-do.

*April 1969: A US reconnaissance plane is shot down convert|90|mi|km|-1 east of the North Korean coast, leaving 31 dead.

*November 1969: Four US soldiers are killed by North Koreans in the Demilitarized Zone.

1970s

*April 1970: In Geumchon, a region of Paju south of the DMZ, a clash leaves three North Korean soldiers dead and five South Korean soldiers wounded.

*June 1970: The North Korean navy seizes a broadcast vessel from the South near the Northern Limit Line. 20 crew are captured.

*February 1974: Two South Korean fishing vessels are sunk and 30 crew detained by the North.

*August 15, 1974 a second attempt was made to assassinate Republic of Korea President Park Chung-hee [http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=1172739553&channel=987798251 It was caught on video]

*June 1976: An incursion south of the DMZ in Gangwon-do leaves three dead from the North and six from the South.

*August 18 1976: The Axe Murder Incident: an attempt to clear brush in the Demilitarized Zone near Panmunjeom ends with two US soldiers dead.

*October 1979: Three North Koreans enter the eastern DMZ: one is killed.

*December 1979: One US Army Soldier killed, 3 US Soldiers wounded after stumbling into a North Korean minefield in a heavy fog while patrolling DMZ. One body is recovered from the North Koreans 5 days later.

1980s

*March 1980: Three North Koreans are killed while trying to cross the Han River estuary.

*March 1981: Three North Koreans try to enter the South in Geumhwa-eup, Cheorwon, Gangwon-do; one is killed.

*July 1981: Three North Koreans are killed trying to cross the Imjin River to the South.

*November 1984: Three North Korean soldiers and one South Korean soldier die, and one American soldier is wounded during the firefight that erupted when a North Korean security detail chased a defecting Soviet citizen across the MDL into the southern-controlled sector of the Joint Security Area.

1990s

*May 1992: Three Northern soldiers in South Korean uniforms are killed in Cheolwon, Gangwon-do; three South Korean soldiers are wounded.

*May 1995: North Korean forces fire on a South Korean fishing boat, killing three.

*October 1995: Two armed North Koreans are discovered at the Imjin River; one is killed.

*April 1996: Several hundred armed North Korean troops cross repeatedly into the Demilitarized Zone.

*May 1996: Seven Northern soldiers cross south of the Demilitarized Zone, but retreat after warning shots are fired.

*May and June 1996: North Korean vessels twice cross the Northern Limit Line and have a several-hour standoff with the South Korean navy.

*April 1997: Five North Korean soldiers cross the Demilitarized Zone in Cheolwon, Gangwon-do, and fire on South Korean positions.

*June 1997: Three North Korean vessels cross the Northern Limit Line and attack South Korean vessels two miles (3 km) south of the line. On land, fourteen North Korean soldiers cross 70 m south of the center of the DMZ, leading to a 23-minute exchange of fire.

*June 1999: A series of clashes between North and South Korean vessels take place in the Yellow Sea near the Northern Limit Line.

2000s

*2001: On twelve separate occasions, North Korean vessels cross the Northern Limit Line and then retreat.

*November 27 2001: North and South Korean forces exchange fire without injuries.

*June 29 2002: Renewed naval clashes near the Northern Limit Line lead to the deaths of four South Korean sailors and the sinking of a North Korean vessel. The number of North Koreans killed is unknown.

*November 16 2002: South Korean forces fire warning shots on a Northern boat crossing the Northern Limit Line. The boat retreats. The incident is repeated on November 20.

*February 19 2003: A North Korean fighter plane crosses seven miles (11 km) south of the Northern Limit Line, and returns north after being intercepted by six South Korean planes.

*March 2 2003: Four North Korean fighter jets intercept a US reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan.

*July 17 2003: North and South Korean forces exchange fire at the DMZ around 6 AM. The South Korean army reports four rounds fired from the North and seventeen from the South. No injuries are reported. [cite web|url=http://www.voanews.com/tibetan/archive/2003-07/a-2003-07-17-2-1.cfm|title=North, South Trade Fire Along DMZ|work=VOA News|accessdate=2006-08-02]

*November 1 2004: North Korean vessels, claiming to be in pursuit of illegal fishing craft, cross the Northern Limit Line and are fired upon by the South. The vessels retreat 3 hours later.

*July 30 2006: Several rounds are exchanged near a South Korean post in Yanggu, Gangwon.

ee also

*Korean War
*Division of Korea
*Korean Demilitarized Zone
*38th parallel north
*Northern Limit Line

References

*cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/nll.htm|title=Northern Limit Line (NLL) West Sea Naval Engagements|work=Globalsecurity.org|accessdate=2006-08-01
*cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/man/crs/RL30004.pdf|title=North Korea: A Chronology of Provocations, 1950-2003|author=Nanto, D.K.|date=2003-03-18|accessdate=2006-08-01