“U.S. Military Indiscriminately Killed Korean Refugees during Korean War“

It is reported that the U.S. Armed Forces ordered the indiscriminate killing of Korean civilians in many places including Nogeun-Ri for the first few months in the Korean War.

October Films, the documentary producer in the United Kingdom, announced that BBC will air a documentary related to the Nogeun-Ri mass murder entitled `Kill `em All` on February 1st.

October Films has produced the special documentary by collecting new information from the victims and the newly released U.S. Military documents. The following is the excerpts from the documentary.

"U.S. Military commanders repeatedly ordered the indiscriminate killing of Korean civilians including women and children during the first few months of the Korean War. The fact was proved by the newly released U.S. documents."

According to those documents, the U.S. military commanders ordered "to shoo all refugees." "all refugees are fair game." and "refugees will be dispersed by all available fire, including artillery." Such orders definitely violate the war criminal law.

The Korean survivors claimed that over 400 refugees including women and children were killed in Nogeun-Ri in July 1950. However, the Pentagon`s investigative report in January last year asserted that the U.S. soldiers did kill the civilians but there was no order for the mass murder.

However, a new witness testified that officers ordered "kill `em all" and another U.S. soldier attested that the shooting order was made by the captain. The solider testified that the killing order was made a day before the Nogeun-Ri incident when other Korean refugees approached the prohibited line set by the U.S. army.

The film also traced the other massacre. The Korean survivors testified that 82 civilians gathered in a Buddhist temple in the operation area of the 25th U.S. Infantry Division. 25 of them were children under the age of 10. The survivors also told that 400 civilians in a refugee camps nearby the coast were killed by a furious bombardment from U.S. warships.

The Pentagon`s investigative report omitted most of the indiscriminate killing orders and communications. The U.S. officials of the Defense Department refuse the request for an interview.

lailai@donga.com