The Spy Who Went North: The Story of Park Chae Seo

The world of espionage is filled with risks and adventures that are etched into history, marking the lives of spies who might be seen as either a disgrace to their country if they spy for the enemy, or a historical landmark if they do so for their homeland. One of the most famous double espionage stories that embodied both traits is the tale of the South Korean spy who infiltrated the North, Park Chae Seo.

The Beginning

Park Chae Seo was a South Korean spy, planted deep within North Korea to be a source of secret information. His journey began in 1990 with military intelligence, where he formed a friendship with a Chinese nuclear physicist of Korean descent, who revealed to him that North Korea had acquired two nuclear weapons.

Park later joined the intelligence agency known as the "National Security Planning Agency" in 1995 and earned the codename "Black Flower." He successfully penetrated the North Korean regime by settling in Beijing, ostensibly working for a South Korean company specializing in importing certain products. He deceived North Korean authorities by claiming that these products were tax-exempt North Korean goods, which helped him establish strong connections with North Korea.

Park skillfully built strong ties with the top officials of the North Korean regime, initially by posing as a failed South Korean soldier turned businessman who worked in filming commercials at the border between the two Koreas. He frequently handed out bribes and gifts, which eventually led to a meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in 1997 at the Pyongyang guesthouse. During this half-hour meeting, Park secretly recorded their conversation using a device hidden on his person.

According to Park, the North Korean leader expressed interest in the South Korean presidential elections, which often led to military tensions. This scenario allowed conservatives to rally undecided voters, a phenomenon known as "the North Wind." In 1997, Park learned from North Korean officials about an armed attack planned in favor of a conservative candidate. He also witnessed North Korean operatives preparing bundles of money received from South Korea to carry out attacks against the regime.

A Political Arrest

Park revealed the plot to South Korean intelligence, prompting the opposition candidate Kim Jong to expose the scheme publicly, successfully thwarting it and winning the election by a narrow margin. Following this incident, Park's activities were frozen, and he returned to China, where he spent most of his time playing golf.

However, after the conservatives regained power, Park was convicted in 2010 for passing secret information to the North. He justified his actions by claiming he was trying to earn the trust of the Northerners by feeding them certain information. He was sentenced to solitary confinement for six years. The recordings Park obtained remain safely stored in a foreign country.

The Spy Who Went North

In his book, Park detailed some of the secret operations conducted by South Korea against the communists in the North, as well as his adventures during his espionage mission in the North. He titled this book "The Spy Gone North." The book was adapted into a Korean film that caused a significant stir upon its release. Park's book became a bestseller worldwide, and the film attracted millions of viewers shortly after its premiere.