Trained to infiltrate N. Korea, then forgotten: Ex-agent recounts 3 secret years
In 1984, Ha Tae-jun, then 24, spotted a notice recruiting for a special unit at the Military Manpower Administration office in central Seoul's Yongsan District. The notice was scrawled on the wall in marker, with little explanation. Ha applied, and his life was changed forever — training as a South Korean operative for covert missions into North Korea. “About a month after submitting background…
In 1984, Ha Tae-jun, aged 24, discovered a recruitment notice for a clandestine unit at the Military Manpower Administration office in Seoul's Yongsan District. The notice, hastily scrawled in marker, lacked detailed information. Ha, applying for the role, underwent rigorous testing. "Around a month after submitting my personal background check, they informed me of my passing and directed me to a cafe near my residence for a meeting," Ha recounted to The Korea Times, speaking from his home in 2021.
At the time, he was unaware the experience would last three years. He was subsequently relocated to a secure location on Mount Cheonggye in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. After passing a fitness test, Ha was driven to another secure facility in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, managed by the Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment. This South Korean military unit was responsible for training and dispatching operatives on covert infiltration missions into North Korea. Ha remained in the shadows for three years, with no expectation of returning home.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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