Truth commission reveals details of third U.S. bombing during Korean War

Posted on : 2008-08-05 13:12 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Commission urges S. Korea to negotiate with U.S. gov’t for restitution and initiate memorial project
 South Gyeongsang Province
South Gyeongsang Province

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Ahn Byung-ook, revealed Monday the truth behind a U.S. bombing raid on Gokgyegul Cave in Danyang that left 167 refugees dead, and recommended the government negotiate with the U.S. government for restitution and support a memorial project.

The commission said its investigation of acquired U.S. National Archive documents revealed that on January 20, 1951, during an operation to block Chinese Communist troops and North Korean guerrilla activity, the U.S. military bombed Gokgyegul Cave in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, where refugees were hiding, and strafed civilians running out of the cave, murdering a total of 167 civilians. It also said the U.S. military, for operational reasons, obstructed refugees from fleeing battle zones, and at the time of the bombing, failed to make sufficient efforts to differentiate between the North Korean military and civilians. It added that most of the victims were minors and women, and it is presumed that over 200 civilians were murdered in the incident if unidentified victims with no surviving relatives are included.

Eom Han-won, 74, the head of a survivors’ committee, welcomed the committee’s recommendation as a natural one that practically restored the victims’ honor. Now, he said, follow-up measures to obtain compensation for the victims and get support for a memorial project were necessary.

This was the third incident the committee has examined involving U.S. bombings of civilians; the previous two were the bombing of Sanseong-dong, Yecheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the bombing of Incheon’s Wolmi-do. The issue of U.S. massacres of civilians during the Korean War first came to light with a September 9, 1999, report by the Associated Press on the bombing of No Gun Ri (Nogeun-ri) in Hwanggan-myeon, Yeongdong-gun, North Chungcheong Province. In the No Gun Ri incident, which took place July 26-29, 1950, U.S. Air Force fighters strafed refugees after they had gathered above a railway bridge, chasing and killing those who tried to flee.

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