YANGON — 1983 · Major Tragedy

The Rangoon Bombing

SolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 9 October 1983, during an official visit by South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, a bomb hidden in the roof of the Martyrs' Mausoleum in Rangoon exploded among members of his delegation gathering for a ceremony. Twenty-one people were killed, including four South Korean ministers and three Burmese journalists, and 46 were wounded. Chun, delayed in traffic, had not yet reached the site and survived. Burmese police traced the attack to three North Korean military officers who had slipped off a ship in the port: one was killed and two were captured. One of those tried confessed to acting for North Korea, and Burma broke off diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

Date: 1983
Place: Yangon Region, Myanmar, Yangon, MM
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Solved
Coordinates: 16.8080, 96.1490 ↗

Timeline of Events

9 October 1983A bomb exploded at the Martyrs' Mausoleum, killing 21.
October 1983Of three North Korean attackers, one was killed and two were captured.

4 November 1983Burma severed diplomatic relations with North Korea.
December 1983A Burmese court convicted the two; one escaped execution after confessing.

Sources

TIME — A Bomb Wreaks Havoc in Rangoon content.time.com ↗
The Irrawaddy — North Korean bombing rocked Yangon irrawaddy.com ↗
The New York Times — Bomb kills 19, including 6 key Koreans nytimes.com ↗
Wikipedia — Rangoon bombing en.wikipedia.org ↗
TIME
The Irrawaddy
The New York Times
Wikipedia

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.