Asia 847
distraction in Vietnam. The following day, South Korean guards engaged in a gun battle
with North Korean agents, killing five. Also in August, South Korea accused North
Korea of sending agents into the country to encourage student demonstrations in support
of Communism and to incite internal unrest. Below is an abridged list of notable events
that followed this action—a simmering conflict for more than seven years between the
two countries:
9/23/64: A South Korean soldier was killed by North Korean agents;
10/19/64: North Korea diplomatically protested to the United Nations against
actions of the American-led UN command;
11/25/64: North Korea charged maritime intrusions by the United States, while the
United States claimed its vessels were in international waters;
12/8/64: UN Command and North Korea both charged numerous demilitarized
zone (DMZ) violations between 10/27 and 11/30;
12/22/64: North Korea protested again as American soldiers guarding the DMZ
tossed snowballs at Communist soldiers and made vile gestures;
In late 1964/early 1965, South Korea began breaking diplomatic relations with
countries that formally recognized the state of North Korea;
2/1965: North Korea put its troops on alert because of US action in Vietnam;
3/18/65: North Korea and the UN command swapped armistice violation
charges;
4/28/65: North Korean jets attacked a US plane;
5/19/65: North Korea shot down a South Korean plane it said was spying, kill-
ing one;
6/19/65: An American GI died in a bomb blast along the DMZ;
6/25/65: Hostile diplomatic words were exchanged between military leaders
during a meeting along the DMZ;
July–September 1965: There were several incidents of clashes between South
Korean guards and North Korean agents;
October 1965: South Korea established a special task force to combat the
increasing number of Communist agents entering the country from North Korea
and terrorizing farmers and other citizens living in the mountains near the capital;
news sources report that the number of infiltrators were on the rise during October;
10/31/65: North Korea seized 97 South Korean fishermen, whom they eventually
released on November 21;
In January 1966, South Korea announced that it would not be ending diplomatic
relations with all countries recognizing North Korea;
5/22/66 and June 1966: There were armed clashes along the DMZ;
10/12/66: South Korean navy sank a North Korean spy ship after a gun battle;
10/25/66: Continued North Korean DMZ violations, killings, and the like were
reported;
11/5/66: The United Nations warned North Korea to stop truce violations;
1967: There were over 600 violent DMZ incidents in 1967 alone as well as mari-
time clashes and diplomatic threats;
In January 1968, the North Koreans seized the US warship Pueblo and took its
crew hostage for almost a year. During the Pueblo crisis, American attempts to
negotiate the crew’s release and the ship’s return, tensions grew along the DMZ
with continuous action throughout 1968, and 300 North Koreans were killed or