"Anti-aircraft fire over Seoul skies Bullet pierces shoulder... Witnesses recount the 'Cheongwadae UFO' incident [Unanswered Questions]"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] SBS investigative journalism program 'Unanswered Questions' aired testimonies from witnesses and victims regarding the incident known as the 'Cheongwadae UFO' case.

The broadcast on the 7th covered the anti-aircraft gunfire incident that took place over Seoul in 1976.

Regarding this incident, it is known that anti-aircraft gunfire was directed at an unidentified flying object over Seoul at the time, resulting in many casualties, but it is remembered as a strangely quiet and buried case.

The broadcast also included testimonies from witnesses. An Hee-seok, who was heading home in October 1976, shared a story about a sight he could never forget in his lifetime.

He said, "There were things moving toward Seoul that were not lights," and added, "Unidentified lights were approaching Cheongwadae, and shortly after, anti-aircraft gunfire was fired at those lights."

He raised questions, saying that unlike what he witnessed, the media only reported the incident in a fragmented manner.

Additionally, a victim who was a high school sophomore at the time revealed, "After school ended and the gunfire stopped, I tried to go home, but about 100 meters into my walk, something flew at me, and I felt pain as if someone had struck my shoulder with a blunt object."

He recalled, "When I put my hand on my shoulder, blood was flowing. At that moment, I thought, 'Oh, I got shot.' I barely regained consciousness and made it home, where my parents told me, 'You need to go to the police station.'"

However, the Ministry of National Defense at the time announced that a Boeing 707 cargo charter plane belonging to the US Northwest Airlines had deviated from its flight path and passed over Cheongwadae. Witnesses, however, expressed doubts, stating that the light was definitely not from a single airplane and that the speed of the flying object differed from that of a commercial aircraft.

The 'Unanswered Questions' team explained that although there were many witnesses, considering the Yushin regime situation at the time, the media was also likely controlled. People only remembered this as the 'Cheongwadae UFO' incident, and related news articles were expressed differently.

The production team of 'Unanswered Questions' added that they requested information disclosure from national agencies regarding records related to this matter, but no related information was found in any national agency's records.

An expert speculated, "This was an incident where gunfire was directed at the country's own citizens," adding, "If this happened in modern times, it would be a major event that could shake the regime, but there must have been efforts to cover up their mistake and prevent it from becoming public."

Meanwhile, 'Unanswered Questions' stated in the broadcast that although many clearly saw the event, the story was not sufficiently explained. As the final broadcast of SBS's anniversary special, they addressed this topic to say, "Many people saw it and were victims who want to know the story, but we wanted to talk about the secret and confidential information of the state that is not easily shared."