On October 9, 1983, a bombing terrorist attack occurred at the Aung San Memorial in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). Perpetrated by North Korea, the bombing resulted in a major catastrophe: over 20 fatalities, including 17 South Koreans (4 cabinet ministers) and 4 Burmese nationals, with over 47 injured.

     On October 9, 1983, a bombing terrorist attack occurred at the Aung San Memorial in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). Caused by North Korean bombers, it killed South Korean cabinet ministers, while President Chun Doo-hwan narrowly escaped the crisis. The bombing occurred at night in the capital Rangoon, carried out by North Korean operatives. It targeted the assassination of South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan and his entourage, who were on an official visit to Burma. Numerous people, including South Korean cabinet ministers, were killed. The incident led to the severance of diplomatic relations between Burma and North Korea.

    At the time of the incident, the Chun Doo-hwan regime in South Korea, while facing domestic and international criticism for its military dictatorship, maintained a hardline stance toward North Korea. North Korea advanced its terrorist operations against the South, including plans to assassinate Chun Doo-hwan, and devised a plot to assassinate key figures during the Burma visit. Three operatives belonging to the North Korean military entered Burma aboard a cargo ship. With support from North Korean embassy personnel in Burma, they prepared for the crime within Rangoon. On the night of October 7, they installed a remote-controlled bomb in the attic of the Aung San Memorial, the tomb of the nation's founding father, General Aung San, planning to detonate it during the official visit on the 9th. 

     The bomb exploded around 10:25 a.m. local time, just as South Korean dignitaries, who had arrived ahead of President Chun Doo-hwan's party, were lining up in front of the memorial, causing part of the building to collapse. The blast killed numerous South Koreans, including several cabinet ministers, and also claimed the lives of Burmese ministers and government officials. The final death toll exceeded 20, with 17 South Koreans (including 4 ministers) and 4 Burmese, while over 47 people were injured, making it a major catastrophe. 

    President Chun Doo-hwan had not yet arrived at the shrine when the explosion occurred, narrowly escaping assassination by mere minutes. The South Korean government convened an emergency cabinet meeting that same day, declaring the incident an “organized conspiracy by North Korea” and ordering the military and police to enter a state of heightened alert. Burmese authorities pursued the fleeing operatives, killing one in a gunfight and capturing two others wounded. The operatives, Major Kim and Captain Kang, were subsequently executed. With North Korea's involvement now clear, the Burmese government strongly condemned the act of using the tomb of “Father of the Nation” Aung San as a stage for terrorism. On November 4 of the same year, Burma severed diplomatic relations with North Korea and revoked its state recognition. The Rangoon Incident demonstrated how Cold War tensions on the Korean Peninsula had expanded to involve third-country international terrorism, further cementing North Korea's status as a state sponsor of terrorism.