North Korean Assassin Turned Pastor Kim Shin-jo Passes Away at 82

Kim Shin-jo, the only captured member of a 1968 North Korean assassination squad, died in South Korea, where he went on to become a pastor after his significant role in Cold War tensions.

Kim Shin-jo, the last remaining member of an ill-fated North Korean assassination team, passed away at the age of 82 on Wednesday in a nursing hospital in Seoul, with his church, Sungrak Church, confirming his death due to old age. Back in January 1968, Kim was part of a commando unit whose daring mission involved infiltrating South Korean territory to assassinate then-dictator Park Chung-hee. The team aimed to eliminate the South Korean leader and his staff but was thwarted less than 600 yards from the presidential Blue House in a violent encounter with South Korean forces.

In the ensuing chaos, most of the commandos were killed or took their own lives; however, Kim's surrender allowed him to escape execution, leading to a dramatic life transformation. Following his capture, he famously stated, “We came to slit President Park Chung-hee’s throat.” After the incident, he became a vehement anti-communist speaker and eventually embraced Christianity, dedicating his life to pastoral work in the South.

The failed assassination attempt became a pivotal moment in Korean history, amplifying tensions between North and South during the Cold War. In response to the attack and another incident involving the U.S. Navy's USS Pueblo, South Korea bolstered its national defense by training its own covert operatives, resulting in a heightened state of military readiness that persisted for decades. Kim’s life journey from an assassin to a religious leader starkly contrasts the historical backdrop of the era, leaving a remarkable narrative as he departs from this world.