Vietnam veterans force cancellation of victims event in Seoul

Posted on : 2015-04-07 15:24 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Jogye Buddhist Temple abruptly pulls out as host, out of concern of ‘possible clash’ with veterans who threatened to forcefully shut the event down
 along with Nguyen Thi Thanh
along with Nguyen Thi Thanh

An event with survivors of civilian massacres by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War is running into difficulties after its original venue was canceled over fierce objections from veterans‘ groups.

The groups warned of their plans to “close down” the event, which they called an “act against the nation by subversives who are distorting history.”

With the news coming on the same day that the country was rocked by Japanese middle school textbook review results with historical and territorial distortions, some are calling it a sign of a historical double standard in South Korean society.

The Peace Museum was originally scheduled to hold the event, a reception for a Vietnam War photographic exhibition by Lee Jae-gap titled “One War, Two Memories,” at 7 pm on Apr. 7 at the Korean Buddhism History and Culture Memorial Hall at Jogye Buddhist Temple in Seoul. Rental procedures had already been completed when the Jogye Order’s treasury department abruptly notified the Peace Museum on Apr. 3 that it was canceling the agreement.

“We made the decision to cancel the rental because of issues of ideological conflict and safety,” the Jogye order explained in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh.

Scheduled to attend the reception were Nguyen Tan Lan, 64, and Nguyen Thi Thanh, 55, who on Apr. 4 became the first survivors of Vietnam War civilian massacres to visit South Korea in the 40 years since the conflict ended.

The reason for the Jogye Order‘s cancelation decision was its concern about a backlash from Vietnam veterans’ groups such as the Vietnam Veterans Association of Korea (VVAK) and the Korean Victims of Agent Orange Veterans Association (KAOVA). VVAK previous sent an announcement to the order on Apr. 4 demanding a cancelation of the venue rental.

“It’s a manufactured event that should not be held,” said VVAK secretary-general Shin Ho-cheol. “We’re not just going to stand by and do nothing.”

VVAK also sent a notice to its members the same day reading, “Certain leftist, anti-state forces are attempting to perpetrate a baseless, evidenceless theater of ‘testimony by civilian massacre survivors.’”

“We are willing to risk our lives to shut their conspiracy down,” it continued.

KAOVA secretary-general Kim Sung-wook called the event “an affront to honor” and said a thousand people planned to gather in front of Jogye Temple on Apr. 7 to “close down the event.”

“There was also an event in the past based on false reporting by the Hankyoreh. We can‘t guarantee what will happen this time,” Kim added.

In June 2000, members of KAVOA broke into the Hankyoreh offices and attempted to start a fire while damaging printing equipment, cars, and computers to protest an article by the weekly Hankyoreh 21 magazine containing the first reports of civilian massacres in South Korean troop areas during the Vietnam War. Leading members of the group visited the newspaper to apologize after the perpetrators were arrested.

Jongno Police Department said it alerted the Jogye Order to KAVOA’s demonstration plans “out of concerns about a possible clash.”

“Our understanding is that the Jogye Order made the decision to cancel the venue rental afterwards,” it explained.

Hwang Chung-gi, head of the order’s financial team, said it had “no choice but to cancel the rental request because of anticipated facility damage and serious difficulties in normal operations due to protests by Vietnam War-related groups.”

The Peace Museum filed for personal protection from police on Apr. 6 for the visiting delegation from Vietnam. Meanwhile, the fate of the reception remains unclear.

“The civilian massacre survivors also paid a visit on Apr. 5 to the Sharing House Museum of Sexual Slavery by the Japanese Military in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province,” said Seok Mi-hwa, the museum’s secretary-general.

“Their aim in visiting is to find some common ground between South Korea and Vietnam as victims of war,” she added.

Park Tae-gyun, a professor at the Seoul National University Graduate School of International Studies, warned that South Korea “won’t be able to resolve its historical issues with Japan if it can’t resolve its own Vietnam War issues.”

“To hear the stories of Vietnamese survivors is not to deny the sacrifice made by veterans,” Park added. “They are asking for a state apology so that they too are recognized as victims.”

Nguyen Tan Lan and Nguyen Thi Thanh, both of whom lost family members and suffered injuries at the hands of South Korean forces, held a joint press conference on Apr. 6 at the National Assembly press center.

“The reason for remembering the mistakes of history and the war is to prevent things like that from every happening again,” they explained.

“As South Korea marks 70 years of independence and 50 years since it sent its troops to Vietnam this year, we hope South Korea and Vietnam will move forward on a path of mutual peace and cooperation. And to travel on that path, there first needs to be real reflection on history,” they continued.

“We hope our visit will lead to a profound debate on the Vietnam War in South Korea.”

 

By Kim Sung-hwan and Kim Kyu-nam, staff reporters

 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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