Failed assassination plot revealed

Former Canadian Ambassador to Korea William Bower said Sept. 25 that North Korea had planned an assassination of the South Korea¡¯s then-President Chun Doo-Hwan and Pierre Trudeau of Canada in 1981.

The former ambassador, who was in residence in Korea between 1981 and 1984, revealed during an interview with the Canadian daily The Glove and Mail that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who had been in charge of the foreign information and affairs at the time, had planned the assassination.

Bower said that Kim had made a prepayment of $400,000 to two Canadian would-be assassins. However, the assassination never was carried out, as the two Canadians went into hiding after receiving the payment. Bower added that the then-Prime Minister Trudeau learned of the failed plot through a high-ranking source in the Korean government following his visit to Korea.

Hong Seong-Chul sungchul@donga.com