I don’t have the time to translate this now, but OhMyNews has run an interview with University of Victoria history professor John Price, who accused Canadian troops of “shocking” outrages during the Korean War. He called on the Canadian government to apologize and pay compensation to the victims, and said he plans to launch a lawsuit against Ottawa. The good professor said there were 60 cases of murder, rape and maiming committed against Korean civilians by Canadian troops during the Korean War. He said those involved were sent before courts martial, with 60 actually receiving sentences. All, however, were freed upon their return to the Great White North.
Korean-speakers can read the whole interview on their own. English-speakers will have to wait, or learn Korean in the meantime.
27 Comments
Anyong haseo!
Well, it’s a start… maybe I will just wait till you get time to translate it.
Maybe he will turn out to be as truthful as Edward Daily, who thoughtlessly lied about what happened at Nogunri.
Now wait a second, I thought that the Canadians and Koreans were supposed to be only virtual blood brothers (or at least brothers in crime). Does this mean that they are literally blood brothers, or does it merely mean that this leftist love affair is about to end?
Five words: War sucks, get over it.
Wellcome Candadians!
Koreans have announced you are in the group who are obliged to pay compensations to them.
Koreans have announced you are in the group who are obliged to pay compensations to them.
Well, in this case, it was actually a Canadian who did the announcing.
So, does this spell the end to the 6 month tourist visa?
Mark, Could you explain the “leftist love affair” and “virtual blood brothers” comments re Canada and Korea?
I was going to ask the same thing - unless he considers protecting one’s film industry to be ‘leftist’.
Korean-speakers can read the whole interview on their own. English-speakers will have to wait, or learn Korean in the meantime.I have to tell you that gave me a good chuckle.
In the spirit of a good laugh, the good folks at Macintosh have provided this translation:
The Canada scholar confesses the killing and wounding act against the
Korean civilians whom the Korean war time home country military
personnels spoil, the Canada government apologizes in true feelings
and that must compensate, it repented.
‘2006 Hazard phu_la_i the zone where it keeps the cold away su (John
Price) the Canada Victoria large history and professor with the journalist to meet a world peace forum ‘
public information, against the Korean civilian criminal act which the
Korean war time Canada military personnels spoil the Canada government
they revealed the plan which will open a common good lawsuit with
relation.
The digit of the Canada military personnel who in link of the Korean
war time combined forces is stationed in Korea becomes when it
questions with the total man-days, about 20000 person or.
“The Canada government comes out and the apple must compensate,”
The murder and rape and injury event against the civilian who
phu_la_i it dozes su professor “the Canada military personnel before
Korea the atrocity which spoils the time civilian with relation to
large grade shock” these “60 cases reaches got wider while Korean war
and” it provided evidence.
Was and phu_la_i su professor was sent “the common soldiers who are
involved in time event military legally, from the Canada army law in
60 people the life sentence back actual punishment was sentenced from
the short-term elder brother, these people after returning home talked
all it was released”.
phu_la_i su professor with help of the last year April Korean scholars
the innumerable difficulties one victim the Korean war time left side
eight and put on the stock in the fleshy inside of the thigh and it
lost a labor power. His father died rightly in the gun which the
Korean war time Canada military personnel shoots.
2000 time scull muscle li the good citizens slaughter leads and
Associated Press communication it is before other in the world and
Ministry of National Defense there is an enemy who is received the
criminal act which the Korean war time military personnels spoil in
link of the mariner enterprise. This time it means that the Korean
civilian crime due to the Canada military personnel is prosecuted.
phu_la_i su professor spoiled and “currently by the Canada military
personnel the position Korean civilian crime being petitioned only 1
case” this, “event of the different sacrifice sleeping field the
investigation expressed the as does not become as ever as the state
which is being buried”.
He when “the Canada government came out recently, the broad way
government and the contact which go back in Canada, and” “it attempted
it was extra ordinary and and the case government which will not be it
moves it revealed the thought which will propose a lawsuit with
relation”.
“Murder, injury and rape… To after returning home all it was
released but ”
One side, 2006 world peace forum it was in the process of
ready and phu_la_i it dozes su “against the situation where the world
the Korean Peninsula is unique it will be able to recognize a north
and south both sides in the world peace forum which will be opened
next year professor and” it talked “all it will invite”.
With South Korean military Republic of Iraq dispatch of troops it
related and “Korea speed governing evacuates the Korean military force
wished from Republic of Iraq and” “the foreign nation peaceful
athletes Korea should have dispatched troops why, do not understand
and” it appealed.
The next phu_la_i it dozes su with professor is the interview
specialty which it shares.
- With the fact that it will do the crime relation research where the
Korean war time Canada army opens the civilian with relation.
Concretely it probably is in the process of researching a what kind of
contents. “It will be able to interview the last year survivor shoes
Sea with help of Anglican Church large professors. The Korean war time
Canada military personnel murdered his father, that it put on a as
well serious extra prize.”
- Regarding shoes Sea event attitude it is audible and it is
different. “The shoes Sea father put on the Korean war time stock and
it died. The shoes Sea the left side eight and put on the stock in the
fleshy inside of the thigh and it received the hospitalization during
30th. The shoes Sea which loses an event after work ability wrapped up
a livelihood with difficult and it went and. The Canada government
will receive the inside mail, Ministry of National Defense and
diplomacy it will call and shoes Sea event to lead it investigated.”
- The Canada military personnel participated in the war to a Korean
war and these people who knows a fact character style many the place.
“The Canada army at the when before Korea the atrocity which it spoils
large grade was shock. The murder and rape and injury event against
the civilian who reaches to 60 cases got wider while Korean war. The
common soldiers who are involved were sent military legally, 60 people
from Canada army guilt were recognized legal and the life sentence
back actual punishment was sentenced from the short-term elder
brother. But these people was released after returning home all.”
- Did the time Canada army before Korea participate in the war how
many? “5000? 7000 people were stationed usual. There was also a navy
division air force, the part did it manages the U.S. army aircraft.
Every 1 years alternate, when the whole participation in a war which
is but it questions with the total man-days which sleeps and about
20000 it is person degree.”
- Did the civilian damage event get wider mainly from which area? “The
Seoul northern part Yonch’on back it came to spoil mainly from near
cease-fire line of now. The event which is sent military legally
mainly 3? 4 people were involved, to what kind of case 10 people did
are involved. The South Korean military common soldier is murdered,
the woman of 3 people conducts a sexual assault, or, 3 people are
injured, or, is. Scull muscle li event same group crime was not but,
the common soldier above most 1 person is involved and the event which
gets wider it admits.”
- The crime and victim size become which degree B? “150? It holds with
the fact that 300 person degree puts on a damage. Currently compared
to it does a research investigation.”
“While making war 60 case crime which happens and the most assailant
multi life”
- The thing where the log of Canada government dimension will
not be remaining? “Initially shoes Sea event, after coming in contact,
it searched for a data and it sees it will be able to discover the
newspaper article where the Canada war correspondents are bitter. The
possibility of searching the article against the events which are sent
in the court martial it is, but also the shoes Sea event was included.
First of all the newspaper su khu lap after one different it started
the scholar and research. It searched the event which reaches to 60
cases from this pass and it put out. It will mean that the log which
relates with a this in the Canada national log depository will be
kept, will reach and there is a necessity which it will investigate.”
- Like that present time is the book which is in the process of ready
treating only against the civilian target crime of the time Canada
army before Korea? “The book subject caught with. The
week contents which it is treating from 1935 until 1955 is the dispute
which gets wider from East Asia. This middle Korean relation fact is
treating all 3 wife’s father places, the colony boat of Japan and 2nd
car world war, the military service comfort girl and compulsion draft
problem of Korea and China. From the viewpoint which is a warfare of
Asia, the United States led warfare and how many the nation which is
powerful should have become, it revealed and it did to sleep. And
Canada should have supported the United States how from the pass, it
came to treat.”
- The thing where the different instance is not opened to the public
other than shoes Sea event? “From Korea it cannot meet the different
survivor still other than the shoes Sea. But the data is having. The
petition to relate with the crime which the Canada army spoils in
Ministry of National Defense being received the shoes Sea event is
only. Becoming the official problem proposal the shoes Sea event is
only until now and different event the sacrifice sleeping field does
not come out to be being, the as the investigation does not become as
ever it is a state which is being buried.”
- It searches relation information and the place where it puts out is
difficult the case which is? “It gets information and it is burnt and
there is not any problem but it sees the data is at a log depository
and that it researches from the actual place, is not easy. The Canada
government comes out and it thinks percentage problem. The broad way
which goes back in Canada again the place where it is a plan which
will attempt the government and a contact, it is extra ordinary even
in this time and when it moves it is not and the government it is a
thought which will propose a lawsuit with relation.”
- The Canada government it will propose the common good lawsuit to
substitute the shoes Sea with relation case? “It sent the mail by now,
or, the back which transforms it moved quietly, it came. But it met
the shoes Sea again in this time and it hired unbiased view anger it
made it received the lawyer and this problem and and a motion. When
this problem will become unbiased view anger from Canada and will
become the considerably difficult fight and theyn also the place shoes
Sea confronts hereupon and there must be ready of mind. It is a plan
which will open the public campaign which inside one or two months
relates with shoes Sea event from inside Canada.”
“The United States still only one nation one and two pieces the memory
sea otter”
- The world peace forum which is a plan which June, will be
opened next year from Canada Vancouver (WPF) the place where it is
participating to a relation activity.
“Me it is being active from the
peaceful just commission which is a Vancouver municipal assembly
official system. The world peace forum was opened from Vancouver and
and it participated with the forum joint organization committee
committee and and. Multi order it visited meantime Korea, 4it attends
in the peace conference which is opened from Cheju to commemorate 3
contentions, it did. Cheju market and Nanjing, the Hiroshima market
hopes visit does as a favor Vancouver. Until now about 150 there is it
reveals the cold-hearted bookkeeping eulogy world peace forum
participation doctor.”
- From forum mainly it is treated a what kind of subject and?
“The woman, peace, arms reduction and the nuclear weapon, the native, the
youth and the continuous possibility back it is treated the subject
which is various and. AND the area to be opened a forum especially
and. World peace forum knows the network of the people more it is
valuable only for large scale event Ji and event character style to be
important. The with each other different whole world cause of peace
camp 10001 the thing character style meaning is big.”
- There is also a subject which relates with Korea in world peace
forum?
“The whole world public opinion is becoming intensively in only
Republic of Iraq and sees, the interest regarding the Korean Peninsula
relativy is few. This time forum it leads and when north and south
unity and nuclear problem, against the situation which discord back
Korea of Japan and is unique it will be able to recognize. Next year
it is a plan which will invite the North Korea delegation in forum.
Canada with North Korea is tying a diplomatic official total already.
Difficult this Iss it is long pressure for the United States and but
(laugh), there is a flow even from private level.”
- Korea in Republic of Iraq the many military force is dispatching
troops at 3rd. If as the peaceful athlete there is percentage end to
the Korean government?
“Speed governing it evacuates the South Korean
military unit from Republic of Iraq, it wishes. It is not it does not
know the reason where the Korean government dispatches troops to
Republic of Iraq. But, the foreign nation peaceful athletes do not
understand the Republic of Iraq dispatch of troops of the South Korean
military. The United States against Canada the anger is a B. Neither
the Republic of Iraq dispatch of troops does, missile defensive setup
(MD) it is because does not participate. But the United States still
only one nation one and, Korea is sameness. It does not forget two
pieces it rolls up and.”
Ah, is it any wonder their market share is in the single digits?
I dunno Kushibo, sounds like a Korea Times article….
And I was dumb enough to read half of it, and all the while scratching my head what’s wrong with me that I can’t understand what the hell it all means.
What you say? All your unification now belong to us.
The joy of Babelfish-rendered Korean.
Kushibo, forget it. Your article is lost in space. beam me up scotty. So, the real story is when is the Korean govt. going to reimburse their citizens for all of the people they killed? Next, when is the Korean people going to pay for U.S war dead and for stopping them from becoming North Korean??? I say lets submit a bill for said services to free your #$%%% country from communist oppression. Other wise move on.
I have no idea if these claims are true; I also have no idea if the Nogun-ri situation is true. But let’s imagine they are for a moment. There are rules of war and engagement, and there are actions in war that clearly fall outside of them. Some battlefield deaths fall into a gray area, but killing surrendered combatants, for example, may violate certain provisions. I’m not sure of the details, however.
But raping of civilians, for example, is not an inevitable part of war that should just be accepted. And such acts are not covered in a blanket “our boys died for your freedom” claim. In fact, making such a claim demeans the very men who lost their lives in battle.
This has nothing to do with which side is making the claim. I would be saying the same thing, for example, if it were Iraqi civilians making the same claim against Korean soldiers.
Thanks for providing the “translation” Kushibo. I could only skim it as it is too painful to read for detail, but the following info may be of interest to some:
Canadian troop strength in Korean War:
30 June 51 5,403
30 June 52 5,155
39 Jun3 53 6,146
http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/korea/truce/appa.htm scroll down to Appendix A2
As of 1 July 51 Canada had a combat brigade (25th) assigned to Korea as part of UN command http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/korea/truce/ch4.htm, (scroll down to organization chart p.57).
Page 67 has some details on the specifics of the troop commitment by indivdual UN countries but there is little on Canada. Since the official history is focused on an overall summary of abstruse organizational details and problems, the fact that Canada is not mentioned indicates that their force commitment did not present any significant problem of integration (what one would expect given the overall reputation of professionalism of the Canadian military in those days).
Maybe a Canadaian newspaper web site has a more coherent story on the details of what the professor said. Also there may be some sort of Canadian official military history online.
Paul, if I have a chance this weekend, I will try to head over to the Korean War Memorial’s monument to foreign forces and see what it says about Canada (it’s not far from my apartment).
There’s a big display of the various countries that fought under the U.N. flag and how many and what type of military presence they had; it’s not that detailed, but it might answer your question.
To me (being Canadian), the most damning part of all of this would be the claim that those sentenced under court martials were set free upon returning to Canada. Regarding possible reparations, unless those Koreans who were affected by the murder/rape/maiming come forward I don’t see how possible reparations would be assigned to victims. I also have to wonder just how familiar people here were with the different foreign flags at the time, assuming they were visible on the uniforms (unless the testimony includes the uttering of ‘eh’ by the rapist/murderer/maimer). I can just see a future Ohmynews article now - ‘Just as Canadians uttered ‘eh’ as they raped Korean women 55 years ago, now they say ‘eh b c’ as they ‘teach’ our innocent children…’
My use of the newspaper search function at Canada.com, key word “John Price” turned up nothing for last 7 days. Maybe a more expert Canadian here can find a domestic link to an English language story.
Using key word “Korea” brought 28 results but again nothing on the comrade professor. However, this search for some reason seemed to go back further in time than “7 days”, as I found a 4 Nov 2003 newspaper story about a Canadian government ceremony, one honoring 17 train wreck victims in British Columbia (21 Nov 1950).
http://www.canada.com/search/s.....776ef80d19
The 17 were members of a Canadian artillery unit evidently on its way to a port in Washington state for debarkation to Korea. The train wreck had been almost forgotten until somebody revived the memory and in 1990 a cairn was built at the site of the accident.
Near “Canoe River”, BC. The story seemed to imply this is a town name, of course it could be just the geographical feature name of the river, perhaps a lonely and forgotten place in the hinterlands. An examination of my 1998 Rand-McNally road map atlas showed no town in BC of that name, though it appears from the Canada town listing in the atlas index that if a town is less than a few hundred in size it may not be big enough for listing therein.
In any case, a long long way from Korea, and a place probably outside the consciousness of any single current peninsula resident, Korean or foreign (until now). So maybe the first installment of the “reparations” demanded by the professor could include symbolic handfuls of earths from near the cairn, or maybe even from graves of 13 of these men. Perhaps delivered to the site of the Korean war memorial (the one Kushibo mentioned to me in an earlier thread in Seoul)?
Not the same as a satisfying monetary compensation of course, but maybe there are still some things in this world that are “beyond price”.
A delivery of soil from the graves of the remaining 4 won’t be possible, as evidently their bodies were never found (incinerated? swept away in a river at bottom of the cliff? The story doesn’t say).
Thoughtful idea, Paul. BTW, in case no one’s said it, the information you provide in almost every post you make is much appreciated - thanks.
Regarding Canadian Forces in Korea, I understand that a total of around 27 000 - Army, Navy and Airforce - served in Korea during the war. There would have been a fair degree of integration with US Forces - Canadian transport flights often flew from Washington State to Japan, Canadian combat pilots served in US units, etc - though on the ground Canadians were part of the Commonwealth Brigade. If memory serves correctly, Canada also had three destroyers. Anyway, I guess around 320 died in combat, with that number rising to 500 or so if one considers training accidents, or accidents en route (ie the train wreck Paul H. mentioned).
It doesn’t surprise me that Canadian troops committed crimes and perhaps some kind of an apology is in order, but I don’t think any sort of payment is necessary. I don’t think you can put a dollar or won figure on a fifty five year old murder or rape case.
Rightly or wrongly, Canadian attrocities will never generate the outrage in Korea that Japanese or American ones do; this story will soon be forgotten. The middle school girls tragedy in Uijeongbu in 2002 showed me that value of human life - and death - in Korea can vary greatly depending on the nationality of whoever happens to harm you, accident or not.
I’m impressed by Kushibo’s knowledge of Canadian!
The middle school girls tragedy in Uijeongbu in 2002 showed me that value of human life - and death - in Korea can vary greatly depending on the nationality of whoever happens to harm you, accident or not.
Well said, candu.
I just gotta say I love dogbert’s gravatar. That picture is priceless!
Lime ‘em you can’t find ‘em
Every group has its ten percent trash, and that includes combat soldiers. Among this second category, the Canadians provided some of the finest combat soldiers in Korea. Both Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the 3rd Bat, Royal Australian Regiment (supported by New Zealand artillery) earned a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation for their actions at Gapyong in April 1951. Attacked by elements of several Chinese divisions, the Canadians and Aussies losses inflicted such heavy casualties that Chinese abandoned human wave attacks against Western troops for the remainder of the Korean War. (Although the tactic was still considered effective against Korean forces until a later period.) Sixty scum in a force of nearly 6,000 is a respectably small percentage, and certainly does not detract from overall performance of the Princess Pat’s, RCR, Van Doos, Canadian Black Watch, and Lord Strathcona’s who served here.
Dogbert wrote:I??m impressed by Kushibo??s knowledge of Canadian!Like Koreans speaking English, it gets better the more inebriated I am: when I’m drunk I sound just like a Cannuck.