Kim Shin-jo, a renowned North Korean assassin has passed away at the age of 82.
The former commando, who later became a pastor in South Korea, was known for his involvement in a failed assassination attempt on then-South Korean President Park Chung-hee in 1968.
On Wednesday, April 9, Sungrak Church in Seoul announced his death news and shared that Kim's death was due to old age and his funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 12.
In 1968, Kim was part of a 31-member North Korean commando unit that were tasked to infiltrate the South Korean presidential palace to kill Park.
Following a fierce two weeks battle in the nearby hills, all assassins were killed except three, out of which, two managed to escaped back, while Kim was the only one captured alive by South Korean forces.
In a press conference, Kim sent waves of shock in the country when he admitted that his team came "to slit the throat of Park Chung-hee."
The incident, which also claimed around 30 South Korean lives, happened at the height of Cold War rivalry between the two nations.
During media interviews, Kim confessed that he was pardoned because he didn't fire a single bullet during the crash.
Along with that, he was made to travel across country to make speeches against North Korean system, which led to his parents execution back home.
Notably, Kim Shin-jo was ordained as pastor in 1997, and has left behind a wife, whom he met after settling in the south and their two children.
