[KS] KAL-858 bombing

[Pete Morriss]

Dear Aidan (and others),
	There is another brief mention of the KAL bombing in 
Harrold's book on p. 93, and a somewhat longer discussion on pp. 
110-12.  However, he just reports North Korea's official denials, 
with a somewhat sceptical gloss.  The only item he reports that 
resembles hard evidence is an article by Kim Jong Ryol, reprinted in 
The Pyongyang Times on 28 May 1988, which apparently admitted South 
Korean responsibility.  Harrold is doubtful about the authenticity 
and accuracy of the article, but he didn't seem to do anything to 
track down the original.  Has anyone else?
	Probably more useful, in this genre, is A Year in Pyongyang 
by Andrew Holloway, which can be found on Aidan's web-site.  In 
chapter 9, he has a longer discussion of the incident than Harrold 
seems to do, saying, amongst other things that "The timing for such 
an outrage could hardly seem less in keeping with North Korean 
interests".  But he was also very critical of the evidentiary 
weakness of the North Korean response.
	Hope somebody more informed than me can shed more light on this ...
	All the best,
		Pete Morriss



>2. The Harrold reference puzzles me. A fascinating memoir,
>but with a rudimentary index. The only reference I can find
>to KAL 858, on pp 84-85, is non-committal on the DPRK's
>culpability regarding this and other terrorist acts. If anything,
>I read him as implicitly endorsing that possibility.
>Or is there further discussion elsewhere in the book?
>
>cheers
>Aidan FC
>
>In a message dated 04/05/2006 19:00:35 GMT Standard Time, 
>aoverl at yahoo.co.uk writes:
>
>>I would be also interested in reading more details about Harrold's 
>>argument, since his book is unavailable for me for the time being.
>>
>>All the best,
>>Balazs    
>>
>
>
>As for the downing of KAL858 in 1987 (about which Shin himself 
>directed a film, "Mayumi",  in 1990), I daresay Prof. Foster-Carter 
>has read "Comrades and Strangers" by Michael Harrold, who was living 
>in Pyongyang what the time of the incident, and insisted that such 
>an act would have been counterproductive for the North Korean 
>government.  An interesting, though also inconclusive, argument.
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