Yonhap News (Korean) reports that a previously classified American document has been released that confirms that extreme right-wing paramilitaries carried out what we’ll generously call “extra-legal killings” on the island of Ganghwa-do, located at the mouth of the Han River. It seems a certain Mr. Choe and about 20 local youths formed what they called a “Birthplace Defense Commando Squad” in January 1951. The squad then rounded up 300 to 400 villagers, brought them up into the hills, and proceeded to “dispose” of them. According to the U.S. Defense Department document, which was dated August 1951, those responsible for the massacre (or “lynching,” as its referred to in the paper) were soon to be tried by a court in Daegu. The Yonhap report doesn’t say what came of the trial, but if the justice (or lack thereof) meted out following a similar (but much worse) incident on Jeju Island in 1949 is anything to go by, I’d say it didn’t come to much. Anyway, a special law dealing with Korean War massacres (and compensation issues) has apparently passed through National Assembly committees and awaits being placed before a plenary session for a vote.
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23 Comments
i wonder how much the “victims” of the Nogunri “massacre” were asking for?
You should delete the quotation-marks, my “friend”, “Captain” Scarlet.
Probably nothing, seeings as how the “victims” of a “massacre” are dead and can’t ask for anything at all.
One thing that annoys me about the release of documents is how they are often presented as if nobody had ever heard of the events before. As if there had been some cover-up that contemporary journalism has “uncovered.”
But, you find much of these things already reported in the news media of the day and in the history text books.
The idea that there were massacres done by both the South Korean and North Korean and even US militaries is not new.
But I guess it just sounds sexy to hear about the release of “top secret” documents….
Yes, usinkorea, that’s exactly right. As I wrote about in Land of the Morning Storm, Sodaemun Prison on the west side of Seoul was infamous during the Rhee years for its brutal treatment of leftist and Communist sympathizers. Torture, blood stains on the cell walls were well documented.
As for the North, the first invasion of Seoul appears to have been fairly mild; the reoccupation however was quite brutal. And of course the DPRK’s treatment of prisoners — those that they took instead of killed outright — was equally horrific.
sugar,
nope.. quotation marks stay. unless you have proof that no one else has the Nogunri “massacre” was widely debunked as a figment of the BBC’s imagination.
Ancorenalpha,
since you don’t know what you are talking about.. why don’t you stick a sock in it and get informed first. some of the “victims” are indeed alive and participated in a mock trial several years ago with Ramsey Clark.
Captain Scarlet
The story about the Nogunri massacre was researched domestically by Korean reporters, but held under the rug/ carpet through the authoritarian military rulers. Reporters from the Associated Press (AP) publicized the story in the 1990s. It was clearly not a “figment” by the BBC. But I think you only believe the “fair and balanced” views, err, “news” of Fox News or MSNBC or the Washington Times or the Stars & Stripes Magazine. nope…my quotation-marks stay as well.
are you trying to say that the liberal KDJ suppressed the Nogunri incident? you don’t live on the same planet i do. unless you can do a better job presenting your case you haven’t convinced anyone here that knows anything about Nogunri.
the AP broke the story and it went no where because there wasn’t anything to it. then the BBC got ahold of it and put their anti-american spin on it and misquoted most of the sources they used. the ringleader of the whole incident was later proved to have never even been in the unit that was at Nogunri. but that didn’t stop the BBC.
there isn’t a single massacre that ever escaped the public eye. soldiers talk. and if something like this had happened, it would have broken long before the 1990s.
please don’t bother responding unless you have something other than what you have been reading over at the hate america korean sites.
Captain Scarlet
>>i wonder how much the “victims” of the Nogunri “massacre” were asking for?>unless you can do a better job presenting your case
SS,
you brought up a good point. i think we may be off topic here discussing Nogunri and i don’t want to abuse the Marmot’s comments section.
if you want to continue this via email i’ll be more than happy to but considering you are mixing up your facts i doubt you will be able to be convinced by anything i say so it is probably pointless.
since you don’t think the BBC is anti-american i doubt you have a firm grasp of what bias is anyway.
SS,
one more thing.. if you chose to respond.. tell me why no one was prosecuted for war crimes of it really happened. if you say someone buried the story you better have proof.
Captain Scarlet
I only said, that the story could be held under the carpet during the time of authoritarian, military, semi-authoritarian rule from 1950-1990s, obviously with the intention not to disturb the relationship with the USA. The AP broke the story and presented it to a wider audience. In my opinion the BBC is a widely independent, objective, critical and overall trustable newssource, which has been proven throughout her decdaes-long history. I never trust any news corporation and broadcaster blindly, but I wouldn?쨈t consider the BBC as anti-anything.
If you have any trustable sources, which could challenge my actual view on the Nogun-ri-massacre, you?쨈re welcomed to mail me to my adress. Though I?쨈m often busy and have not much time for my internet activities, you should be pacient, if I don?쨈t respond quick enough(also the timeshift of 8 hours from Korea to Germany in the Central European Timezone is sometimes difficult to manage.
I?쨈m open for your material, but no viruses, worms or trojans, please.
>>tell me why no one was prosecuted for war crimes of it really happened
Captain Scarlet
Wow, my English orthography is a shame. Your acronym for my netname is a little bit disturbing for me. SS was a acronym for the German “Schutzstaffel”, the Nazi-cult-organisation which was responsible for managing the concentration camps and executing the holocaust, also functioning as the bodyguard-unit (Nazi “Secret Service”) for Adolf Hitler.
The Jeju-do uprising in 1948 is one of the more interesting and horrific moments in both Korean and American history. The supression of an uprising by a proxy army, the use of ’strategic hamlets’ and free-fire zones prefigure American tactics in Vietnam. Soldiers refusing to go to Jeju to fight the Guerrillas set off the Yeosu rebellion, which in turn bolstered the Jirisan partisans.
The uprising on Jeju, and its suppression (killing at least 30,000) was kept under wraps for years. In 1997 a documentary called ‘Red Hunt’ was shown at a human rights film fest in Seoul and the person putting on the film fest was arrested under the national security law. Just a few months ago, Roh Moo-Hyun apologized to the people of Jeju; things have changed. Of course, as Captain Scarlet says, the people who took part in the killing have not been punished - many of them benefitted from it and still live there, which made people there afraid to speak out for years.
There’s a lot of info at http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/cheju.htm
(Elsewhere on this site I’ve seen pro-north anti-american stuff, but the Jeju section isn’t so bad, and the primary sources and interviews are useful.)
http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/cheju.htm
SS,
i know.. i lived in germany for 7 years. best time of my life. the Loveparade rules.
matt,
by using a “proxy army” are you implying the US used the south’s army to put down a rebellion? i hope not. Jimmy Carter was calling the shots back then and if you think JC (the nobel peace prize winning ex-president) would have done such a thing you are buying in to the BS from the korean left.
i’ve had discussions with some koreans about the Jeju-do uprising. seems they said that when the rioters found out some american battle ships were closing in on the coastline of korea, they “thought” that the americans were coming to help them. they thought wrong. it was probably a recon mission but at any rate, the koreans felt that because we didn’t help that we were on the side of the dictators. from there, the conspiracy theories have sprouted a million offspring.
Captain,
Cheju-do/ Jeju-do massacre in 1948 - Jimmy Carter in charge then???
There have been US military advisors and observers on the island to watch over the suppression of the uprising, making photos of the operations and writing files and reports for the US military, which as a occupation force had the jurisdiction over the island before the official declaration of the ROK. Most of the massacres were perpetrated by South Korean Police Forces from the mainland and anti-Communist North Koreans of so called “Youth Leagues”, in fact brutal militias.
You should do a little bit research, before posting your opinions. Or have I misunderstood your Carter-story?
doh! where is my brain! i was thinking kwangu.
About Kwangju…
This article, using declassified State Department and Defense Intelligence cables from 1979 and 1980 obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that the US did know of and approve Chun using the special forces against demonstrations in Kwangju and Seoul.
It’s a long article, parts B and E touch on the most pertinent bits.
http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/kwangju3.htm
Regarding this:
“Jimmy Carter was calling the shots back then and if you think JC (the nobel peace prize winning ex-president) would have done such a thing you are buying in to the BS from the korean left.”
Jimmy’s national security advisor has interesting things to say about Afghanistan. (He confirms an assertion by the head of the CIA in the 70s about US intervention in this article)
http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/brz.htm
As well, the Carter administration sent loads of weapons to Indonesia at the height of the atrocities in East Timor.
The peace process he started with Kim Il-Sung in 1994 is a good scale balancer though.
You’ve probably left this long ago, Scarlet..
“some of the “victims” are indeed alive and participated in a mock trial several years ago with Ramsey Clark. ”
I can just see it now…
“Yes, y’honor, two years ago I was shot and buried in a mass grave with dozens of my compatriots.”
Bit like the old joke about the mortician in the courtroom.
D.A.: “So, how many autopsies did you perform on dead people?”
Response: “All my autopsies were performed on dead people.”
Just in case the sheer humor of it was lost on you. Chew your own sock.
Ancorenalpha,
do you have to be dead to be a victim? you people kill me. it is painfully obvious that you have never read a word of testimony submitted during the investigation.