Thirty-one North Korean commandos slipped past American and South Korean sentries on Jan. 17, 1968, cutting through the DMZ fence on a mission to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung-hee.

Ahn Hak-seop was part of a seven-man North Korean squad sent to infiltrate enemy lines. It was 1953, and the Korean War was locked in a bloody stalemate. Ahn’s mission was to lead his heavily armed ...