Blue House raid
| Blue House raid | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Korean DMZ Conflict and the Cold War | |||||||
 South Korean forces search for North Korean commandos following the initial conflict on January 21 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 South Korea  United States |
North Korea | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Park Chung Hee Charles Bonesteel |
Kim Il Sung | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
25th Infantry Division 26th Infantry Division (elements) 2nd Infantry Division (elements) 7th Infantry Division (elements) | Unit 124 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
68 killed 4 killed |
28 killed and/or committed suicide 1 captured 2 escaped | ||||||
| Blue House raid | |
| Hangul | 1·21 사태 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 1·21 事態 |
| RR | 1·21 satae |
| MR | 1·21 sat'ae |
The Blue House raid, also known in South Korea as the January 21 Incident (Korean: 1·21 사태), was a raid launched by North Korean commandos in an attempt to assassinate President of South Korea Park Chung Hee in his residence at the Blue House in Seoul, on January 21, 1968. A 31-man team of the Korean People's Army (KPA) infiltrated the DMZ but was intercepted by police near the presidential residence. In the ensuing pursuit, all but two commandos were killed; one was captured (Kim Shin-jo), and one (Pak Jae-gyong) fled back to North Korea. South Korean casualties totaled 26 killed and 66 wounded, including about 24 civilians; four Americans also were killed. Park was unharmed.