Nogun-ri probe ends with two sides still at odds

The joint Korea-U.S. investigation into the Nogun-ri massacre, in which U.S. troops are suspected of gunning down civilians during the Korean War, wrapped up with the two sides still at loggerheads on whether the troops received orders to fire.

Chief government mediator Kim Byung-Ho held a press conference with Korean correspondents in Washington on Thursday in which he revealed that Korea and the U.S. would make an official announcement on the outcome of the probe sometime next January. Korea and the U.S. held two days of meetings in Washington on the issue from Nov. 20.

Kim said that in the joint announcement, the facts of the situation and testimony regarding the alleged orders to fire will be released as is. On issues where there are differences of opinion, the viewpoints of both sides will be included without any subjective judgments. However, no evidence that orders were given to fire was found and hence the Nogun-ri incident will probably be deemed to have been an accident, as the U.S. has been contending.

The U.S. voiced its regret for the Nogun-ri incident on a defense minister level and offered to establish a scholarship fund and to construct a monument to those who died.

Associated Press reported that the U.S. government would not make an official apology for the Nogun-ri incident and that no compensation would be provided to survivors or the families of the deceased.

The victims of the incident are planning to file a lawsuit against the U.S. demanding an official apology and compensation.