N. Korea`s alleged mastermind of terrorist bombing dies: report

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean military official, the alleged
architect of an assassination attempt against a South Korean president in 1983,
has died, according to a media report from Pyongyang.
The North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said late Tuesday that Vice Marshal
Jang Song-u has died. He was 76. The report did not say when he died or the cause
of his death.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed "deep condolences" over the death,
according to the report.
Jang is an elder brother of Jang Song-thaek, who is married to Kim Jong-il's
younger sister and is believed to yield great influence in internal affairs.
Jang Song-u is the suspected mastermind behind the so-called "Rangoon bombing" in
1983, in which Pyongyang tried to assassinate then South Korean President Chun
Doo-hwan who was traveling in Myanmar. Chun survived but 17 officials who were
with him had died in the attack.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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