Korea Demilitarized Zone Incidents
SERIOUS INCIDENTS IN THE DMZ
1967 - 2001
| Date | Description of Incident | Killed in Action | Wounded in Action |
Protested at MAC Meeting |
| 19 Jan 67 | nK shore batteries fired on and sank ROKN PCE-56 off the north Korean east coast | 39 (ROK) | 15 (ROK) | 239 |
| 22 May 67 | nK intruders exploded demolition charges in 2nd Infantry Division barracks | 2 (US) | 17 (US) 2 (ROK) |
249 |
| 28 Aug 67 | nK armed attack on UNCMAC Advance Camp (76th Engineers) | 1 (US) 2 (ROK) |
12 (US) 9 (ROK) |
254 |
| 1968 | The year 1968 witnessed 181 serious incidents in and out of the DMZ, making it the most violent year in the history of the Armistice | 17 (US) 145 (ROK) |
54 (US) 240 (ROK) |
|
| 21 Jan 68 | 31 nK armed agents intruded into Seoul in an attempt to assassinate President Park | 29 (nK) | 1 (nK) Captured |
263 |
| 23 Jan 68 | nK gun boats seized the USS Pueblo in the Sea of Japan, over 15 nautical miles off the nK coast. 82 crew members released on 23 Dec 68 | 1 (US) | 263 | |
| 14 Apr 68 | nK intruders ambushed a UNC JSA security guard truck enroute to JSA | 2 (US) | 2 (ROK) | 266 |
| 20 Aug 68 | nK agent boat intercepted off Cheju Island | 12 (nK) | 2 (nK) Captured |
277 |
| 30 Nov 68 | nK landed approximately 120 nK commandos near Samchok, ROK | 107 (nK) | 2 (nK) | 282 |
| 1969 | More than 150 nK agents were killed while attempting to infiltrate into the ROK from the sea | 150 (nK) | ||
| 15 Mar 69 | nK fired upon a UNC work party that finished replacing MDL marker 0022 | 1 (US) | 2 (US) 1 (ROK) |
291 |
| 15 Apr 69 | USN EC-121 recon aircraft was shot down by two nK MIGs 90 miles off the nK east coast | 31 (US) | 290 | |
| 5 Jun 70 | A ROK Navy "1-2" ship was fired on and sunk by nK naval vessels in the Western Sea | 20 (ROK) | 302 | |
| 7 Mar 73 | nK armed attack on UNC work party replacing MDL marker 0654 | 2 (ROK) | 1 (ROK) | 337 |
| 15 Feb 74 | nK naval vessels attacked ROK fishing boats in international waters | 12 (ROK) | 348 |
| 28 Jun 74 | Three nK gun-boats attacked and sank a ROK Maritime Police craft (863) in the Eastern Sea near the MDL-extended | 26 (ROK) | 2 (ROK) Captured |
352 |
| 30 Jun 75 | nK guards attacked Maj Henderson, acting commander of UNC Joint Security Force in JSA | 1 (US) | 365 | |
| 18 Aug 76 | nK guards attacked UNC guards during "tree-trimming incident" in the JSA | 2 (US) | 4 (US) 4 (ROK) 5 (nK) |
379-381 |
| 3 May 77 | nK intruders attacked ROK Army personnel in the central sector | 1 (ROK) | 1 (ROK) | 383 |
| 14 Jul 77 | US Army CH-47 shot down after it accidentally crossed MDL into north near east coast. (US casualties were returned via Panmunjom several days later) | 3 (US) | 1 (US) | 385 |
| 28 Apr 78 | nK agent boat attacked ROK National Police maritime patrol boat | 1 (ROK) 4 (nK) |
4 (ROK) | 386 |
| 21 Jul 78 | nK agent boat attacked ROK National Police patrol boat | 2 (ROK) 6 (nK) |
1 (ROK) | 394 |
| 7 Dec 79 | US DMZ patrol accidentally crossed
MDL and stepped on nK mines. Body of US soldier returned by nK at 461st MAC Secretaries meeting. US wounded returned safely to UNC side after incident |
1 (US) | 2 (US) |
| 23 Mar 80 | Three nK agents infiltrating through the Han River Estuary were killed by ROK defenders | 3 (nK) | 400 | |
| 27 Mar 80 | nK intruders fired on ROK Army patrol in Central Sector | 1 (ROK) 1 (nK) |
1 (ROK) 1 (nK) |
400 |
| 21 Jun 80 | nK agent boat attacked ROK Navy patrol boat | 9 (nK) | 2 (ROK) 1 (nK) Captured |
402 |
| 3-6 Nov 80 |
nK agents landed on Hoenggan Island killing one ROK civilian and wounding five others before being caught | 3 (nK) | 403 | |
| 1-6 Dec 80 |
nK agents landed on Namhae Island | 3 (ROK) 3 (nK) |
3 (ROK) | 404 |
| 4 Jul 81 | nK agent infiltrated through DMZ | 2 (ROK) 1 (nK) |
406 | |
| 15 May 83 | nK agents landed on east coast of ROK | 1 (nK) | 413 | |
| 19 Jun 83 | nK agents discovered near Munsan in the Western Corridor | 3 (nK) | 419 | |
| 5 Aug 83 | nK agents attempted to land near Kampo on the SE coast | 5 (nK) | 421 | |
| 13 Aug 83 | nK agent boat sunk east of Ullung Island in East Sea | 5 (nK) | 421 | |
| 3 Dec 83 | nK agents landed at Tadaepo beach near Pusan | 3 (nK) | 2 (nK) Captured | 423 |
| 23 Nov 84 | nK guards fired on a Soviet defector and UNC JSA guards at Panmunjom | 1 (ROK) 3 (nK) |
1 (US) 1 (nK) |
426 and at 474th Secretaries Mtg |
| 20 Oct 85 | nK agent boat sunk near Pusan | At least 2 (nK) | 430 |
| 24 Apr 86 | nK armed vessel failed to stop after crossing the MDL extension line in the East Sea. nK vessel sunk in exchange of fire | 2 (nK) | 4 (nK) | 435 |
| 21 Nov 87 | nK guard fired on ROKA post in the Central Sector | 1 (ROK) | ||
| 22 May 92 | nK armed intruders were intercepted in the central sector of the DMZ. UNC called 460th MAC meeting, but nK rejected the meeting. | 3 (nK) | 2 (ROK) | |
| 17 Dec 94 | U.S. Army OH-58A+ helicopter accidently strayed across the MDL about 10 km into nK territory and was shot down by nK forces. Of the crew of two, one was killed; the other was held for 13 days. | 1 (US) | ||
| 17 Oct 95 | Infiltration attempt by KPA soldiers near Imjin River. One infiltrator was killed, one believed to have made his way back to north Korea. | 1 (nK) | ||
| 06 Apr 96 | More than 100 North Korean troops entered the northern sector of the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom the day after North Korea announced it had "dismissed" the armistice with the South. Both ROK and US forces were put on a higher state of alert-Watchcon 2-although there was no change in defense readiness, which was maintained at Defcon 4. (The CFC reverted to Watchcon 3 several weeks after the April armistice violation.) | |||
| 16 Jul 97 | nK armed intruders were UNK (nK) UNK (nK) intercepted about 100 M in the ROK. Subsequent fire fight took place between two nK and two ROK guard posts. nK intruders returned north. |
unk (nK) | ||
| 9 Sep 97 | nK soldier intruded south into the ROK, threatened a ROK guard, and was shot in self defense. | 1 (nK) | ||
| 17 Oct 97 | nK soldiers apprehend two ROK farmers at the MDL, east of Panmunjom. The nK released the farmers unharmed on 21 Oct. nK soldier intruded south into the ROK, threatened a ROK guard, and was shot in self defense. | 1 (nK) | ||
| 3 Feb 98 | In Panmunjom, a KPA Captain crossed the MDL from KPA GP#2 and surrendered himself at UNC CP#4. He expressed his desire to defect to the ROK and remained, despite KPA protests claiming he was abducted. | Daily 3-6 Feb 98 | ||
| 11 Jun 98 | The KPA fired 3-4 rounds at UNC GP#247. One round hit the top of UNC GP#247. No casualties reported. | |||
| 22 Jun 98 | A North Korean midget submarine was seized after it was spotted entangled in South Korean fishing nets off the South Korean town of Sokcho, south of the DMZ. When brought to shore three days later, the nine crew aboard were found dead inside from an apparent group suicide. | KPA-9 | 23 Jun 98 |
|
| 12 Jul 98 | A body of a North Korean frogman was found on a beach south of the DMZ, along with paraphernalia suggesting an apparent infiltration/espionage mission. | KPA-1 | ||
| 18 Dec 98 | In a firefight, the
South Korean navy sank a North Korean Improved Semi-Submersible |
KPA-1 | 6 Jan 99 |
|
| 4-15 Jun 99 | nK ships provoked a nine-day naval confrontation off ROK's western coast in disputed waters in the Yellow sea over disputed border known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL). When the damaged confrontation ended in exchange of fire each blamed the other for starting the firefight | KPA-30-34 ROKN-0 One torpedo boat sunk; 5 naval vessels damaged |
KPA-unknown ROKN-9 5 naval vessels damaged |
15 Jun 98 18 Jun 98 22 Jun 98 2 Jul 98 General Officer Talks |
| 26 Sep 00 | Two KPA soldiers cross the MDL in vicinity of Tae-Song-Dong. When challenged by ROK soldiers, one of the KPA soldiers told them their weapons are designed "to kill Americans". No shots fired. | 6
Oct 00 |
||
| 26 Oct 00 |
Two U.S. aircraft participating in an exercise in the ROK accidentally fly over the DMZ.
|
28 Oct 00 | ||
| 2-4 Jun 01 |
Three "commercial" naval vessels from the DPRK cross the Cheju Strait in both an easterly and westerly direction. The ROK Navy issued verbal warnings not to pass without approval, but the ships captains ignore the warnings.
|
|||
| 8 Jun 01 |
A "commercial" naval vessel from the DPRK crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), entered the contiguous waters of the ROK, and passed north to the port of Nampo, despite warnings not to enter the prohibited area. |
|||
| 19 Sep 01 | A three-man KPA patrol armed 12 Oct 01 with AK-47 rifles was observed passing through the KPA forward fence line. A UNC Guard Post (GP) issued two verbal warnings. The UNC GP fired 24 warning shots. The KPA soldiers returned to the north. | |||
|
20 Sep 01
|
10 KPA soldiers crossed 50 meters south of the MDL UNC issued 13 voice warnings and five warning shots. The KPA retreated to the north.
|
12 Oct 01 | ||
| 27 Nov 01 | North and South Korean troops briefly exchanged fire in the DMZ. North Korean troops fired three rounds toward a UNC guard post prompting the ROK Army unit to return fire. One bullet hit and shattered a windowpane of a South Korean bunker that serves as a guard post. No casualties. | |||
| 17 Jul 03 | At 6:10 AM North and South Korean soldiers echanged machine-gun fire near Yonchon, 35 miles north of Seoul. The North Koreans fired four 14.6mm rounds from a distance of 1,100 meters at ROKA soldiers who responded with 17 shots from a K-3. Warning announcements were made on the ROKA loudspeaker. ROKA soldiers along the DMZ were put on alert. Three of the four DPRK rounds struck a ROKA guard post.No ROKA casualties were reported. |
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
