On November 29th, 1987, Korea was shaken by the crash of Korean Air Flight KAL858 en route to Seoul via Abu-Dhabi and Bangkok. Bombs planted in the airplane exploded and killed all 115 people aboard. A few days later, two North Korean agents with Japanese aliases disguised as father and daughter were arrested in Bahrain for possessing forged passports. The old man killed himself with a cyanide capsule but the 25-year-old woman, Kim Hyun-hee, failed to follow him. Both were later found to be the culprits behind the KAL explosion. Last year, the U.S. State Department declassified 57 documents concerning the incident.
According to Kim, her training in esponage began in her teens, and lasted for 7 years in a compound outside Pyongyang. She was sentenced to death in South Korean courts for the terrorist act, but later received a special pardon from President Roh Tae-woo. She has settled in South Korea and is married with two children to the NIS agent who was dealing with her case.
Kim Hyun-hee recently appeared on a special talk show held by Korean broadcaster MBC. Some left-wing figures have claimed that she is not the real terrorist, claims to which Kim expressed strong antipathy.
From YouTube:
From New Daily:
Kim Hyun-hee expresses her thoughts about ’25 years of repentance’ on MBC
KAL858 bomber Kim Hyun-hee appeared on a special talk show on the 15th, the first time on a terrestial TV station. The following is a summary of the key parts of the show:
‘Life as Mayumi, confessions of Kim Hyun-hee’
25 years have passed since the bombing. 51-year-old Kim Hyun-hee appeared on the TV set in a black suit with short hair.
It was her first exclusive talk on terrestial TV. She looked nervous but she expressed her thoughts in a calm voice and couldn’t hold back the tears when asked about her mother and family in North Korea.
Host: ‘When do you miss your mother the most?’
Kim Hyun-hee: ‘When life is difficult. I thought of my mother before trying to bite the cyanide capsule.’
Her sense of guilt for the victims and their families was still strong.
Kim Hyun-hee: ‘I felt sorry that all I did was just murdering fellow people and it is my duty to let the bereaved know the truth…as a human being, with a human conscience.’
She reacted strongly to the ‘fake culprit controversy’.
Kim Hyun-hee: ‘If I’m fake, what would that mean? That South Korea blew up flight KAL858 and it is [therefore] a terrorist country? And North Korea was falsely accused of terrorism? How can you say what is real is fake?’
She also talked about her ordinary married life with two sons. She said she argues with her husband regarding private education for her kids. She revealed her sons don’t know what she did yet.
Kim Hyun-hee: ‘My kids are too young to know it. They seem to be roughly aware that I used a different name in the past and their maternal relatives are in North Korea.’
She referred to herself as ‘the witness of history’. Lastly, she said ‘I will live with sincerity.’
Kim Hyun-hee: ‘As a witness… I learned that a witness should speak the truth no matter how hard it gets. In order not to dissapoint South Korean citizens and the bereaved, I will live with sincerity.’
Comments from Nate:
clfc****:
The terrorist herself has acknowledged that she was instructed by the North Korean regime. Why are jwajoms insisting that South Korea terrorized themselves and North Korea is the victim? And why did they oppose her TV show appearance so much? Because it may upset the North Korean pig?
mino****:
‘If I’m fake, what does that mean?’ – Jongpuks will hurray.
‘Then, it would mean that South Korea blew up KAL858 and it is a terrorist country.’ – Jongpuks already think so with their eyes and ears blocked.
‘And that means North Korea was falsely accused of terrorism.’ – It’s written in the Jongpuks’ novel.
‘How can you say what is real is fake?’ – You’ve testified well.No matter what, the MBC labour union doesn’t trust her and tried to prevent her from appearing on TV, going apeshit foaming at the mouth. How does her TV appearance have anything to do with the MBC labor union and their workers? If they are not really jongpuk, why can’t they just accept that the truth has been proven?
jyoo***:
I felt many things from Ms. Kim Hyun-hee. Although she committed an unforgivable sin and hurt many people, she has been painfully living as a witness in South Korea in order to atone for her crime. I truly hope she can contribute to eradicating the jongpuk lefty commies. I was deeply moved by her remorse and effort to work for the country despite her big sin. A war against South Korean commies, I’m looking forward to it.
jyoo****:
The National Security Act must have many problems. We’re letting the commies run wild, shake our country and distort the truth. Even though she committed a big sin, Kim Hyun-hee, who has repented and is working for the country, is a more of a patriot than those lefty commies.
woom****:
The directly involved person says she herself is the culprit but they are saying she’s not. How crazy. Lee Seok-ki, are you listening?
cbb1***:
I guess there will be comments blindly bashing the article because it’s from the New Daily? I guess they can’t curse at the mastermind who controlled her but only call her a murderer? I guess they will say the KAL bombing and Cheonan sinking were all orchestrated by South Korea? How are the jongpuks different from Kim Hyun-hee who was brainwashed to commit a big terrorist act? They are worse. Even when she was threatened by the lefty government to say it was done by South Korea, not North Korea, she refused it saying she can’t commit any more sins in history. She even had to pull a runner with kids when her address was exposed by the media. She says she’s not fake, the mastermind is North Korea and she committed the very act. Jongpuks, you guys are fucking trash. Kim Hyun-hee must be a traitor in your eyes.
dock****:
‘The KAL bombing and Cheonan sinking were all plotted by South Korea. North Korea is an angelic country’ – The jwajoms. (We are deaf and blind) *Ahem*.
qkql****:
The lefty government in power for 10 years had done so much to the media. A TV program that suggested a North Korean terrorist act was self-fabricated by South Korea… Really insane.
cale****:
See clearly how domination by the leftists for a decade turned the country scary. Republic of Korea, eradicate the spies and jongpuk groups from the roots.
js19****:
Once she was brainwashed by Kim Il Sung and controlled by him as his weapon. But she chose to remain as the last witness because of those who try to taint history with lies, in spite of the coaxing and threats from the Roh Moo-hyun administration. If she made false statements as requested by the leftists, she could’ve become innocent. However, since that makes the brutal North Korean regime innocent and South Korea a country that committed terrorism on themselves, she has endured the carrot and the stick.
nice****:
‘North Korea admits to KAL bombing, in 2007‘
A high-ranking government official revealed during the meeting to discuss the North Korean nuclear issues in Beijing, China in 2007, North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Lee Geun privately said ‘North Korea hasn’t committed any terrorism since the KAL bombing’, while asking the US to remove North Korea from the terrorist country list. It means North Korea admitted that the KAL bombing was done by them.
lawa****:
Let’s use some common sense. Would anybody want to lie that they are a criminal and a murderer for the whole life?! Everything becomes easy if she just claims she’s fake. Nevertheless, the jongpuk groups insist it’s fabricated using nonsensical reasons. What’s worse was the Roh administration and public TV stations’ labour unions who supported these jongpuk groups. The US mad cow beef hoax, 100 Minute Debate’s public opinion manipulation… It was all made possible by the current MBC union on strike and the new KBS union. If we overlook these jongpuks, spread everywhere in society, it’s only a matter of time before they bite us. Do not underestimate the power of instigations!
hyeo****:
I personally don’t want Kim Hyun-hee in my sight. Many other people might feel the same way. The bereaved must feel the same. However, Kim Hyun-hee is straightening our view on North Korea by talking about how things worked in North Korea and revealing the real nature of the regime. I hope the people, who blindly oppose her TV appearance, reconsider it. I’m curious what the jongpuks, especially the United Progressive Party might think watching her. Because they must be controlled by Kim Jong Un.
njki****:
Her sins cannot be forgiven but the jongpuks cannot be forgiven, too. Why are they trying to make her look like a faker?? Are they trying to accuse the ROK of terrorism and make North Korea look wrongfully accused??
seoj****:
I hope they realize it is detrimental to the relationship between South and North Korea to defend and follow the North Korean regime and spread rumors that Kim Hyun-hee is fake.
valo****:
She must be dumbfounded because they try to make her innocent. In the meantime, jwajoms are delusionally appealing to emotions, ke ke.
csgu****:
Jwajom bastards or certain masterminds up there have organized DDoS attacks on Ilbe that publicise issues like this. If it was like the old days, Kim Hyun-hee articles would’ve been top ranked…but it will be buried like this.
nice****:
So on that show, Kim Hyun-hee basically said ‘If I claimed I hadn’t done it, I could’ve become innocent. But North Korea becomes a falsely accused country and South Korea becomes an idiot, and decades of terrorist designation on North Korea becomes nothing. The leftist government asked me to do it but because following them means losing, I endured waiting for an administration change.’
carr****:
Kick them all in MBC labor union. What were they so afraid of that they tried to block the talk show?
runs****:
Our people don’t even realise we are living in a divided country. They seem to think we’ve always been wealthy. Once we were the poorest. That’s why they called our country a miracle. Don’t be conceited and look at the reality. If you don’t want to be instigated, you have to look at the reality clearly.
