The Ganghwa massacre () was a

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

conducted by the South Korean forces, South Korean Police forces and pro-South Korean militiamen, between 6 and 9 January 1951, of 212 to 1,300 unarmed civilians in the Ganghwa county of the

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

metropolitan city A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The victims were collaborators with the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

during

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n rule. Before this massacre, 140 people were executed in Ganghwa as part of the

Bodo League massacre The Bodo League massacre () was a massacre and war crime against communists and suspected sympathizers (many of whom were civilians who had no connection with communism or communists) that occurred in the summer of 1950 during the Korean War. Es ...

in 1950. In 2003, a history book describing the massacre was published by the Ganghwa Culture Center. On 26 February 2006, the

National Archives of Korea National Archives of Korea is an agency of South Korean government, charged with preserving government-produced articles and records. It is headquartered in Government Complex Daejeon and has branches in Busan and Seongnam, and an office in Seou ...

admitted a 30 August 1951 official document in which then

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Jo Jinman reported to then-

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Chang Myon Chang Myon (hangul: 장면; hanja: 張勉; August28, 1899June4, 1966) was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a Roman Catholic youth activist. He was the only prime minister of the parliamenta ...

about the massacre. On 17 July 2008, the South Korean governmental

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

acknowledged the civilian massacre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganghwa Massacre Massacres in South Korea Political repression in South Korea Events in Incheon Military scandals Mass murder in 1951 Political and cultural purges South Korean war crimes Massacres committed by South Korea War crimes in South Korea January 1951 events in Asia 1951 in South Korea 1951 murders in South Korea Massacres in 1951 Anti-communism in South Korea

See also

References