Korean Air Flight 858
Korean Air Flight 858 was a flight that flew from
Abu Dhabi International Airport in
Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates to
Gimpo Airport near
Seoul,
South Korea via
Bangkok International Airport in
Bangkok. On
November 29,
1987, it mysteriously disappeared.
According to the South Korean authorities, the
Boeing 707 (registered HL7406) took off from Abu Dhabi and was flying to Bangkok on the way to Seoul. Two passengers who departed from the plane at Abu Dhabi left a radio containing 350 grams of
C-4 and liquor bottle containing cca 0.7 l of
PLX explosives in an overhead rack on the airplane. The bomb exploded while the plane was over the
Andaman Sea near Thailand. Radar contact was lost at the time of the explosion.
All 11 crew members and 104 passengers on Korean Air 858 were killed, making it the deadliest
terrorist attack against South Korea.
Two North Korean agents were arrested by South Korean officials shortly after the bombing. One killed himself with a
suicide pill but the other,
Kim Hyon Hui, was captured before she herself could commit suicide. She told investigators that the bombing was ordered by
Kim Il Sung's son,
Kim Jong-il. The story against North Korea reinforced the country's place on the
United States terrorism supporter's list.
People who believe the event was a
conspiracy perpetrated by someone other than the North Korean government say that the event was engineered by the South Korean authorities for political aims, citing a lack of hard evidence.
See:
Korean Air Flight 007*
KAL기사건 진상규명 시민대책위원회 - A view that questions the official account of the KAL's Flight-858 Incident (in
Korean, and translated imperfectly into
English.)
