In 1969 , North Korea shot down a US EC-121 spy plane over the Sea of Japan , killing all 31 crew on board , which constitutes the largest single loss of US aircrew during the Cold War . In 1969 , Korean Air Lines YS-11 was hijacked and flown to North Korea . Similarly , in 1970 , the hijackers of Japan Airlines Flight 351 were given asylum in North Korea . In response to the Blue House Raid , the South Korean government set up a special unit to assassinate Kim Il-sung , but the mission was aborted in 1972
Korean Air Lines YS-11 was hijacked
Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking
Korean conflict