Korea's Dirty Dozen

On a winter's day in 1968, 31 spies from North Korea sneaked across the demilitarized zone (dmz) and penetrated to within meters of the residence of South Korean President Park Chung Hee. Their mission, in the words of one commando: "Cut off Park's head." The North Koreans were disguised in South Korean army uniforms but their Russian coats and incongruous black sneakers caught the eye of a suspicious South Korean cop and most were apprehended and executed. Park was so enraged he ordered the formation of his own 31-strong hit squad with the parallel mission of assassinating Kim Il Sung, his...