No Gun Ri or no No Gun Ri?
No Gun Ri is the name of a Korean village where a massacre of up to 400 Korean civilians by American soldiers was alleged to have taken place in July, 1950 during the Korean War. The Associated Press broke the story in 1999, and its writers were awarded the Pulitzer Prize the following year. The story incited indignation among Koreans, President Clinton issued a poorly recieved statement of regret, and Defense Secretary William Cohen oredered an investigation.
No Gun Ri was in the news twice today. The South Korean goverment announced today that under a new law it will compile a list of names of the victims and survivors of the incident and construct a monument at its site. [See S. Korea to Make List of Refugee Victims.] At the same time, the credibility of the No Gun Ri story has been called into question and it is not clear whether or not the massacre ever took place. [See Korean War 'Massacre' Story Not True.]
As an interesting historical footnote, soon after the No Gun Ri story broke in Korea, allegations surfaced about massacres of a total of up to 5000 Vietnamese civilians committed by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War. [See SOUTH KOREA: Exposed South Korean Soldiers Massacred Vietnamese during Vietnam War and Vietnam builds memorial to wartime massacre.] To the credit of the South Korean people, a report cited that 77.9% supported an official apology and compensation for the victims. [See South Koreans demand compensation for Vietnam War massacre victims.] However,
Han Hong Koo, professor of modern Korean history at Sungkonghoe (Anglican) University, quoted in For Koreans, Vietnam War Wounds Heal Slowly, said the following:
No Gun Ri is the name of a Korean village where a massacre of up to 400 Korean civilians by American soldiers was alleged to have taken place in July, 1950 during the Korean War. The Associated Press broke the story in 1999, and its writers were awarded the Pulitzer Prize the following year. The story incited indignation among Koreans, President Clinton issued a poorly recieved statement of regret, and Defense Secretary William Cohen oredered an investigation.
No Gun Ri was in the news twice today. The South Korean goverment announced today that under a new law it will compile a list of names of the victims and survivors of the incident and construct a monument at its site. [See S. Korea to Make List of Refugee Victims.] At the same time, the credibility of the No Gun Ri story has been called into question and it is not clear whether or not the massacre ever took place. [See Korean War 'Massacre' Story Not True.]
As an interesting historical footnote, soon after the No Gun Ri story broke in Korea, allegations surfaced about massacres of a total of up to 5000 Vietnamese civilians committed by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War. [See SOUTH KOREA: Exposed South Korean Soldiers Massacred Vietnamese during Vietnam War and Vietnam builds memorial to wartime massacre.] To the credit of the South Korean people, a report cited that 77.9% supported an official apology and compensation for the victims. [See South Koreans demand compensation for Vietnam War massacre victims.] However,
- "An official at the foreign ministry in charge of Vietnamese affairs said neither Hanoi nor Seoul wanted to dig up the past and undermine their expanding ties."
Han Hong Koo, professor of modern Korean history at Sungkonghoe (Anglican) University, quoted in For Koreans, Vietnam War Wounds Heal Slowly, said the following:
- "What happened in No Gun Ri and what happened in Vietnam were the same thing. It was the massacre of civilians by soldiers. In act one we were the victims, and in act two we were the victimizers.
"We Koreans had an image of ourselves as peace-loving people, but for the first time that image was shattered."
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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