1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident
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| Infiltration of Gangneung | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Korean War | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 South Korea |
 North Korea |
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| Strength | |||||
| 40,000 infantry, unknown search dogs, unknown helicopters |
1 submarine, 26 marines |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 12 dead (4 accidental) 41 wounded 4 civilian dead |
1 submarine captured 24 dead 1 captured |
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The 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident occurred on September 18, 1996, near the South Korean town of Gangneung. The incident was one of the more serious instances of North Korean espionage involving naval forces.
On September 15, a North Korean Sang-O class submarine submarine landed a three person special operations reconnaissance team on the shores near Gangneung. Their mission was to spy on the naval installations in the area and then return. The submarine made a failed attempt to collect the team on the 17th, and returned the following day. The submarine, however, ran aground in the attempt, and all efforts to try to make her free were in vain.
The crew then decided to destroy the sensitive equipment in the submarine and try to make it to the DMZ. The crew split up in several groups but one was soon spotted by a civilian who became suspicious and alerted the authorities, who quickly mobilized 40,000 soldiers, along with helicopters and search dogs.
A 49-day long manhunt ensued, from 18 September through 5 November, resulting in the capture or elimination of all the crew and members of the reconnaissance team, except one, who is believed to have made it back to North Korea. 16 South Korean soldiers and civilians died and 27 were wounded. Of the 26 North Korean infiltrators, 1 was captured, 11 were murdered by the other members or died from a murder-suicide, 13 were killed in firefights with the ROK Army, and 1 reportedly escaped back to North Korea. Some analysts suspected that the motivation behind the assassination of Choe Deok-geun, South Korean consul for the Russian Far East, was retaliation for these killings.
The submarine was salvaged and towed to a naval base for investigation. One captured crewmember, the submarine's helmsmen, Lee Kwang Soo, gave in after much interrogation and revealed much of the plans. He later became an instructor in the South Korean Navy.
North Korea was at first reluctant at taking responsibility and claimed that the submarine had suffered an engine failure and had drifted aground, but issued an official apology on December 29. The following day, the remains of the infiltrators were returned to North Korea.
[edit] Timeline of North Korean casualties
- September 18: 11 submarine crews committed mass suicide, 1 North Korean soldier was captured.
- September 19: 7
- September 22: 2
- September 28: 1
- September 30: 1
- November 5: 2
[edit] References
- Harry P. Dies, Jr.: North Korean Special Operations Forces: 1996 Kangnung submarine infiltration, Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, Oct-Dec 2004.
