Advertisement

South Korea, Myanmar to inquire into crashed Korean Air flight

Former North Korean agent Kim Hyon-hui has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Korean Air aircraft in 1987. Kim has criticized victims' families for urging a full investigation into the incident. File Photo by Cho Sung-bong/EPA
Former North Korean agent Kim Hyon-hui has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Korean Air aircraft in 1987. Kim has criticized victims' families for urging a full investigation into the incident. File Photo by Cho Sung-bong/EPA

May 22 (UPI) -- South Korea and Myanmar have agreed to investigate together wreckage found in the Andaman Sea, believed to be that of Korean Air Flight 858, which exploded midair in 1987.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday the plans of investigation are "currently in negotiation," News 1 reported.

Advertisement

The South Korean government added it could not provide additional details of the preliminary agreement.

Earlier on Thursday, local television network MBC reported President Moon Jae-in had ordered a government-initiated investigation into the site in Myanmar.

The instructions from Moon come a few months after MBC said it had found what might be wreckage of Flight 858 in January.

The television network said at the time the wreckage was found using a 3D sonar. Local fishermen had spoken of a "large object" located about 164 feet beneath the water's surface.

The crew eventually identified a 33 foot-long wing-shaped object in the shadows of the seabed. An object that appeared to be an engine was also found, according to MBC in January.

The plane had left Baghdad for Seoul on Nov. 29, 1987, then disappeared off the coast of Myanmar. On board were 115 passengers; none survived.

Advertisement

Kim Hyon-hui, a North Korean terrorist who was captured then attempted suicide, confessed to planting the bomb on the flight. She later resettled in the South. The administration of South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan did not conduct a search for bodies or plane wreckage following the incident, according to the Korea Times.

The discovery of the wreckage in January has prompted victims' families to call for a full investigation.

Kim has attacked the families of perished victims, calling them pro-Pyongyang collaborators.

Seoul pardoned Kim more than three decades ago, but civic groups want more information on the attack, which is classified.

Latest Headlines