1971 Korean Air Lines Fokker F27 hijacking

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Fokker F27-200 Friendship. 60 people - making up 55 passengers and 5 crew members - were on board. Captain Lee Gang-heun () was the pilot-in-command. He was reported to be about 37 years old at the time of the incident. The co-pilot, Jeon Myeong-se (; also romanized Chon Myong-se), aged 39, was one of two fatalities. Born on 10 February 1932 in Yongcheong, Manchuria, Jeon served as an anti-communist guerrilla fighter during the Korean War and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant colonel in May 1970 after receiving twenty commendations for military service. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Civil Merit, First Class, and buried at the Seoul National Cemetery. The hijacker, Kim Sang-tae (), was a 22 year old male passenger who attempted to hijack the aircraft using a grenade and was killed when it detonated. Sang-tae managed to board the flight with the bomb on despite strengthened security checks. ==Accident==

The flight left Gangneung Airport for Seoul-Gimpo at 1:07pm. 27 minutes after takeoff, at 1:34pm and while flying 10,000 feet (3,048m) over Hongcheon, two hand grenades exploded. Shortly after they exploded, Captain Kang-hun radioed to the ground that the plane had been hijacked. The explosion created a large hole in the aircraft and shattered the locked cockpit door, allowing Sang-tae to enter the cockpit with two more grenades, ordering the pilots to turn north. Captain Kang-heun decided to make an emergency landing at Gosung-gun, Gangwon-do, but Sang-tae, realizing the flight was approaching the beach of Hwajinpo, threatened to throw the grenades lest the pilots continue on their journey. After learning of the hijacking, the Republic of Korea Air Force sent two F-5A fighter jets to surround the Fokker F-27, preventing it from reaching North Korea. They reached the plane when it was close to the Military Demarcation Line. while cabin crew member Choi Seok-ja and aviation security officer Choi Cheon-il attempted to trick Sang-tae into thinking the passengers were panicking. Captain Kang-hun distracted Sang-tae by telling him the fighter was a North Korean MiG, allowing Cheon-il and trainee pilot Jeon Myeong-se to shoot and kill Sang-tae. The grenade dropped to the ground; Myeong-se covered it with his body, minimizing the damage from the explosion. However, he lost his left arm and right leg, suffering serious injuries as a result. Shortly after the bomb exploded, pressurization was lost and the cabin and control systems were damaged. Captain Kang-hun made a rough emergency landing at the beach in Chodo-ri, Hyeon-nae-myeon, Goseon-gun at 2:18pm - an hour and 11 minutes after takeoff. Out of the 16 injuries that were reported, eight, including that of Myeong-se, were serious. He received emergency treatment at a military hospital, then was transported to Seoul. His will said that he "threw [him]self because [he] was afraid the passengers would get hurt." He died due to excessive blood loss. == In popular culture ==

The events of the crash were dramatized in the 2024 film Hijack 1971. ==See also==