Mungyeong Massacre (1949)

Sat Dec 24, 1949

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Image: A map of Korea with the North Gyeongsang province highlighted

On this day in 1949, the South Korean Army slaughtered 86-88 unarmed civilians, including 32 children, in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang while disguised as communist guerillas. The government blamed the massacre on communists for decades.

The South Korean government had designated the village as communist-aligned after residents there did not welcome state presence. On December 24th, 1949, the South Korean Army went on a shooting rampage throughout the village, killing between 86-88 unarmed civilians, 32 of whom were children.

Soldiers disguised themselves as communist guerillas, and the South Korean government denied any role in the violence, blaming the massacre on communist forces for decades.

On June 26th, 2006, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Korea concluded that the massacre was committed by the South Korean Army. In July 2008, the victims’ families filed for compensation from the government, however these claims were initially rejected by Korean courts on the basis that too much time had passed.

In June 2011, the South Korean Supreme Court ruled in favor of the victims’ families, stating “It is difficult for people to claim compensation for the infringement of basic rights through the usual legal process when the infringement was systematically committed directly by the state or under the state’s tacit rule. The plaintiffs had reason enough not to have exercised their rights to claim compensation”.