머니투데이
49 days. That was how long it took to capture an entire group of soldiers hiding near the port city of Gangneung. But these were no ordinary soldiers. They were North Korean !
DISCLAIMER : This article contains photographs of bodies. Sensitive readers should be advised.
On the night of September 18, 1996, more precisely around 2 a.m., a taxi driver named LEE JINKYU went to a police station in Gangneung to file a report. Earlier that night, on a beach, he had noticed an object that did not resemble a fishing boat. It was much larger and far more solid. The darkness made it difficult to see clearly, so he initially dismissed the discovery, until he recalled a strange encounter from earlier that evening. While driving along the coastal road, he had come across a group of men sitting by the roadside, their heads shaved. Could it be…? His blood ran cold, and he immediately drove to the police station. At the same time, a South Korean army private first class made a similar report:
« On the morning of the 18th, while carrying out a mobile patrol from my guard post, I discovered a submarine and reported it to my platoon leader. » – PARK MANGWON
A submarine had run aground during the night of September 17–18. It belonged to the Reconnaissance Bureau of the Korean People’s Army of North Korea. By the time the reports reached higher command, a nationwide high-security alert was issued around 5 a.m. Enemy soldiers were hiding in Gangneung, and they had to be found as quickly as possible. Thus began a massive manhunt that lasted nearly 50 days, at the end of which 26 North Korean soldiers were either captured or killed.
The submarine recovered was a Sang-O, a name derived from the Korean word sangeo, meaning “shark.” It belonged to the North Korean navy. As of 2024, North Korea is estimated to possess around forty such submarines. The Sang-O class is characterized by a maximum speed of 9 knots, a width of only 4 meters, a length of 35 meters, and diesel-electric propulsion in its later models. Construction began in 1991, and the submarine involved in the 1996 incident was seized by South Korea and later displayed at the Gangneung Unification Park, commemorated in September 2001.
The South Korean military could hardly believe its eyes when it discovered a Sang-O submarine stranded on a beach. The incident was unprecedented and led to the deployment of nearly 43,000 soldiers in search of the small North Korean unit. All three branches of the armed forces were mobilized, as no one knew what the enemy might be capable of. At the time of the discovery, no one except LEE had any idea how large the group was. The event quickly became known as the “Gangneung submarine infiltration incident,” dramatically escalating tensions between North and South Korea, whose relationship had remained fragile since the end of the Korean War four decades earlier.
PARK MANGWON reported finding footprints that appeared to belong to six or seven individuals heading toward Mount Gwaebang. However, shortly after the alert was issued and news spread that North Korean soldiers were hiding somewhere in the area, the bodies of eleven soldiers were discovered around 4:30 p.m. on Mount Cheonghak. They were quickly identified as marine soldiers. Their wounds suggested a mass suicide: several had gunshot wounds beneath the jaw (AK-47 rifles and Tokarev TT pistols). Another theory suggests that their superior executed them to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information before killing himself.
Just ten minutes before the bodies were found, a soldier named LEE GWANGSU was captured. He revealed that there were 26 soldiers in total, meaning vigilance was still required as enemy forces remained at large. He explained that the mass suicide was a ruse meant to convince authorities that no soldiers were left to pursue. However, the following day, September 19, seven soldiers were found and killed: three in the morning, three in the early afternoon, and one several hours later. On September 20, a helicopter spotted two soldiers on Mount Cheonghak, but ground forces failed to intercept them.
What surprised the South Korean military on September 19 was that none of the soldiers resisted. It was as if they had accepted death for having failed their mission. Under North Korea’s dictatorship, the failure of one individual could implicate an entire family. If a soldier were captured, like LEE GWANGSU, his relatives could be punished for his “cowardice” and for divulging information to the South. It was a risk most of the remaining soldiers clearly did not want to take.
At the time, conditions in North Korea were catastrophic. From 1995 to 2000, the country was struck by a famine often described as the most devastating of the twentieth century. Estimates suggest that between 480,000 and 3.5 million people died from starvation and malnutrition over five years. Official figures were never released, making precise estimates difficult. This period became known as the “ARDUOUS MARCH.” Its effects lingered until 2004, when the birth rate began to rise again.
The Human Rights Commission estimated that two million deaths occurred between 1995 and 1998 alone. The infiltration mission is believed to have aimed at surveilling South Korean military installations and gathering intelligence, possibly in preparation for an assassination attempt against then-president KIM YOUNGSAM, whose term began on February 25, 1993. When the submarine was discovered, an explosion occurred inside it to destroy evidence and equipment. By the morning of September 21, only seven soldiers remained to find: 18 were dead and one captured. That same day, the first South Korean soldier was killed, followed by the death of a North Korean soldier on Mount Chilsung, and another on September 22.
Five remained. At this point, North Korea intervened, demanding the return of the submarine, the bodies of the deceased soldiers, and the surviving personnel. It claimed the incident was not an infiltration mission but a naval training exercise gone wrong after the submarine malfunctioned. South Korea ignored the request and continued focusing on the fugitives. One was found and killed on September 28, and another a few days later. Twelve days after the national alert, only three survivors remained. LEE GWANGSU continued cooperating with South Korean authorities to ensure his survival. He revealed that a similar mission had taken place in September 1995, also in Gangneung, to gather military and ballistic intelligence without being detected.
Of the 26 individuals involved, the group consisted of 21 soldiers, three special operations forces members, and the director and deputy director of the maritime department, all belonging to the 22nd Squadron of the Maritime Department of the Reconnaissance Bureau. North Korea was also accused of orchestrating the assassination of a South Korean diplomat in Vladivostok, after traces of poison found in the diplomat’s body matched substances discovered aboard the submarine. North Korea denied the allegations but, on October 6, captured an American citizen named EVAN CARL HUNZIKER, who had entered the country as a missionary, and demanded an exchange for the remaining soldiers.
Throughout October, no trace of the final three soldiers was found. As autumn arrived and fallen leaves covered the ground, South Korea’s search efforts slowed, fearing ambushes. Searches continued mainly by air. On November 5, the fugitives were finally located just 20 km from the DMZ, the border between North and South Korea. Two soldiers were killed after managing to kill three South Korean soldiers and injure fourteen others with grenades. Among their belongings was a diary recounting their escape, including two weeks spent hiding underground before heading to the Yongpyong ski resort. They stole food from villagers, played video games, and killed four more people along the way: three civilians with knives and one South Korean soldier by strangulation. They also carried a camera containing photographs of South Korean military bases.
The final soldier was never found and is presumed to have escaped through the DMZ. Unexpectedly, on December 29, nearly two months after the manhunt ended, North Korea issued an apology:
“The DPRK will make efforts to insure that such an incident will not recur, and will work with others for durable peace and stability on the Korean peninsula” – The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
This incident is linked to the discovery of infiltration tunnels along the DMZ. Between 1974 and 1990, four such tunnels were uncovered, suggesting North Korea had planned a ground invasion of the South. One of these tunnels is now open to the public. According to CIA data, 3,800 North Koreans were killed, captured, or repatriated between 1953 and 1995 during other infiltration attempts.
Regarding the Gangneung mission, three soldiers had actually landed in the South on September 15, while the submarine waited offshore. On the night of September 17, while attempting to retrieve them, the submarine struck rocks along the coast. Its propellers became entangled in seaweed, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. The impact is estimated to have occurred around 9 p.m., with abandonment around midnight. South Korea’s response involved ground troops, helicopters, canine units, rangers, and infantry patrols.
« Most people think the submersible got stuck on a reef chile going backwards, but in fact, it came in forward, but the waves were too strong, so it was pushed to the side, got caught on a reef, and ran aground when the propeller was damaged» – LEE GWANGSU
Over the course of the 49-day manhunt, 14 soldiers, one reservist, one police officer, and four South Korean civilians were killed, with 27 others injured. Regarding rumors of an assassination attempt, LEE GWANGSU stated that the three soldiers who landed on September 15 were snipers assigned to attend the opening ceremony of the 77th National Sports Festival in Chuncheon, where President KIM YOUNGSAM was scheduled to speak. Those who did not take part in the mass suicide were selected to complete the mission, having been deemed the most capable soldiers. At the time of his capture, LEE GWANGSU was 31 years old. The mission commander was 50, and the youngest soldier was 27.
Below is an excerpt from a newspaper of the time documenting the first days of the infiltration. Warning: graphic images of North Korean soldiers’ bodies are shown, including those from the mass suicide.
LEE GWANGSU later remained in South Korea and even became friends with the sergeant who arrested him, CHOI WOOYOUNG. Upon his arrest, authorities asked what he wanted to eat to encourage cooperation. He requested gwangeohoe, raw flatfish, considered a luxury in the North but not in the South. In October 1996, two years after the incident, he expressed his wish to stay in South Korea and eventually became a personal instructor in the South Korean navy. In 2011, he participated in security training exercises and regularly shared insights into infiltration missions.
Today, the operation is remembered as one of the longest pursuit and manhunt operations since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It left a deep mark on inter-Korean relations, international cooperation, and popular culture, inspiring films, dramas, games, and webtoons such as “Becoming a Cooking Soldier Legend“, “Declaration of War“, “Campus Love Story“, and “Lobbyist“. Now graduated, married, and a father, LEE GWANGSU remains an emblematic figure of a failed North Korean military infiltration attempt, one that ultimately led to reinforced security across South Korea to prevent future operations of this kind.
Had you heard of this story before? Would you visit Gangneung to see the famous Sang-O submarine during a trip to Korea? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Journalist: Pillet Anaïs
Translator: Anaïs
Sources: KSTATION TV, under pics, hyperlinks
