South Korea’s National Intelligence Service found that the destruction of KAL858 was still the work of North Korean agents:

A fact-finding panel in the National Intelligence Service said Tuesday the bombing of Korean Air 858 jet in 1987 was indeed carried out by North Korean terrorists but exploited to hoist Roh Tae-woo to the presidency. Roh was the sidekick of the putschist president Chun Doo-hwan and candidate of the ruling Democratic Justice Party. [Snip]

Tackling the question whether the Chun Doo-hwan government made political capital out of the bombing to lever his chosen successor to the presidency in 1987, the panel concluded the military rulers did not intentionally bring the bombers to Seoul on the eve of the presidential election. But it said the Chun government “tried to use the bombing to create circumstances that were favorable to its presidential campaign for Roh Tae-woo.” Kim Hyon-hee was brought to Seoul on Dec. 15, the day before the election, which Roh duly won.

What? The “incumbents” took political advantage of a terrorist attack to make its case in an election? You don’t say!!!

I have been a fierce critic of Chun-Roh putsch and their subsequent regime (but somewhat more generous of Roh’s call for direct election, restoration of democracy and precedent for peaceful transfer of power). But this “they exploited it” rejoinder strikes me as tad petty.

The families of victims and civil activists have alleged that the Agency for National Security Planning, the precursor of the NIS, masterminded the bombing. They claim 11 Korean diplomats suspiciously got off the plane in Abu Dhabi midway to Seoul before the aircraft blew up killing 95 passengers and 20 crew.

But the NIS panel concluded the allegations are baseless since the Korean consul general to Iraq Kang Seok-jae and his wife were killed in the bombing and no other government officials or diplomats were ever on board.

I guess these are Korean equivalents of the the type of Americans who blame the CIA for 9/11.

Yes, sometimes it IS the external enemy that wants to harm you.