Revisiting the 1983 Rangoon Bombing: Covert Action in North Korea's Foreign Relations

Er-Win TAN, Brian BRIDGES

Research output: Journal PublicationsJournal Article (refereed)peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The assassination attempt on South Korean (ROK) President Chun Doo Hwan during a state visit to Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon, Myanmar) in 1983 illustrates the willingness of the North Korean state to engage in state terror not only against its own citizens, but also against the ROK. The authors examine the North Korean state's adoption of covert operations tactics and terrorist activity in an attempt to undermine the ROK, even when its actions have costs in terms of the North's relationship with individual Southeast Asian states. In addition, using newly-released archival material from the British National Archives, the authors examine the 1983 Rangoon Bombing as a case study in North Korean covert operations abroad.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-103
Number of pages23
JournalKorea Observer
Volume50
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2019

Keywords

  • Chun Doo Hwan
  • Rangoon bombing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Revisiting the 1983 Rangoon Bombing: Covert Action in North Korea's Foreign Relations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this