Mun Se-gwang (26 December 1951 – 20 December 1974), also romanized as Moon Se-kwang, was a Korean Japanese assassin who attempted to assassinate South Korean president Park Chung Hee on 15 August 1974. The assassination attempt resulted in the deaths of Park's wife, Yuk Young-soo, and a high school student, Jang Bong-hwa.

Biography

Mun Se-gwang was born to an ethnic Korean family in Osaka, Japan on 26 December 1951. His family had come to Japan from southern Korea in the mid-1930s.

Attempted assassination of Park Chung-hee

Stealing a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver from an Osaka police box on 18 July 1974, he concealed it in his luggage and flew to South Korea on 8 August 1974, using a Japanese passport to enter the country. He then booked into the Chosun Hotel. His second bullet hit the left side of the podium from which Park was delivering his speech. His third bullet was a misfire but the fourth struck Park's wife, Yuk Young-soo, in the head, seriously wounding her. His last bullet went through a flag decorating the rear of the stage. A bullet fired by , one of the President's security detail, in response to Mun's attack ricocheted off a wall and killed a high school student, Jang Bong-hwa. Immediately following the capture of Mun, Park resumed his scheduled speech, despite the wounding of his wife and her being carried from the stage. Following its completion, he picked up his wife's handbag and shoes and left. Despite extensive surgery, Yuk died at 7:00 p.m. that same day. also expressed regret that he had failed to kill Park, and that an innocent schoolgirl had died because of his actions. On 17 December 1974, he was found guilty of the attempted assassination resulting in the deaths of two people and sentenced to death. Four months after his failed attempt, Mun was executed by hanging at Seoul Detention Center.

See also

  • Assassination of Park Chung Hee
  • Park Geun-hye
  • 2016 South Korean political scandal
  • History of South Korea
  • Koreans in Japan
  • Korean-Japanese disputes

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References

Bibliography

  • Video of the assassination attempt

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