International Peace Camp 2004

Overview of Genocides before and after the Korean War

Presented by Gang Jeong-gu

(Department of Sociology, Dongguk Universit)y

I. Introduction*1)

When seeing the separated families in South and North Korea who sob their heart
out in Mt. Geumgang for reasons to hard to tell, most of us are sore at heart and
drenched with tears as if they are our events. But we do not know about many people
who envy their possibility of meeting even if many years have passed, thinking of their
tragically killed families with tears. They are the families of nearly one million
genocide victims before and after the Korean War. The genocide issue remains as the
acutest one of the scars of our division and war. Furthermore its truth has not been
inquired properly even until today after 50 years and just remains as a deep grudge
harbored against the bereaved families. Moreover most important is that this genocide
was mostly initiated by the Korean government, not by North Korea.
The purpose of this article is to summarize genocide before and after the Korean
War that is estimated as more than one million victims and to help people understand
this horrible and acute scar more easily. In this way, this author expects that much
sympathy will be gained to contribute to a delayed clearance of the past.

Note 1)This article was printed in the Year 2003 issue of 『Kill Everything, Sweep
Away Everything: A Brief Record of Genocide before and after the Korean War』,
published by the Pan-National Committee for Inquiring the Truth of Genocide before
and after the Korean War.

II. Meaning of genocide

In this article, genocide means 'an innocent killing act committed just for reason or
suspicion of the leftists, the rightists, or group members(including family) of taking
sides with Reds without any threat'. It excludes killing in time of war, but execution by
justice is included in genocide. This definition is restricted within a killing act of Helen
Payne's broad sense of redefinition of genocide: "an act continued by an offender in
spite of victims' surrender or without their threat for the purpose of destroying the
group's body directly or indirectly through suspending group members' biological or
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social rebirth." But I reject a socially accepted idea of categorizing the innocent people
in exclusion of red guerrillas, connecting guerrillas, and the Protection and Guidance
League members, and define that those having socialism or communism ideology
cannot be excluded from the category of the innocent people, expanding the category of
the innocent people to civilian.
『Korea Police History』divides those taking sides with reds into four categories:
1)Active elements doing ideological fairness and practice together; 2)Passive
communist elements having anti-governmental sentiment; 3)Passive elements following
the general tendency blindly and 4)Passive elements joining passively under the
pression. Classifying those having anti-governmental sentiment as those taking sides
with Reds reflects straightforwardly how police defined a Red and those joining Reds
arbitrarily at that time. Although fallen under these four categories, such possession of
ideological orientation itself may not be guilt or a reason of killing unless they commit a
crime coming under the necessary conditions of a criminal offense.

III. Genocide of civilian, not the innocent people

Up to the present, we have used a wrong concept of the massacre of the innocent
people rather than civilian genocide that is commonly used in other countries. The
reason to use the massacre of the innocent people firmly is to emphasize that victims
killed such as in Geochang Genocide all were 'the innocent people' sacrificed innocently
without any fault or guilt. But in the concept of universal human rights, this distinction
cannot be tolerated. There is a tacit sympathy on its foundation that the innocent people
must not be killed, but other people, especially Reds, may be killed.
Even if fault or crime committed is very grave, it can be a very serious act that
violates human rights by governmental violence even in time of war unless it is not put
on formal trial in accordance with the law. Unfortunately, primitive violence by a state
that 'Reds may be killed' was rampant in South Korea before and after the Korean War.
Although it cannot be helped to admit the National Security Law, a bad anti-democratic
law, it is a criminal act to kill or punish arbitrarily without dealing with in accordance
with the pertinent law.
We should take account of the National Security Law. Freedom of thought and
ideology is a natural right. People cannot be punished by the National Security Law.
As long as they do not commit a criminal offense, they should not be punished. But
hundreds of thousands of people were killed by the Korean government because they
were or were suspected of Reds without formal court procedure. In a way in the 21st
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century, it urgently needs to inquire the truth of criminal act and bury the past. Many
people connected with genocide will get old or die of a disease, and then the truth of
genocide close to one million people will be covered up in history without finding out
any truth.

IV. The origin of genocide

Why did a tremendous criminal act of genocide happen? It originated in the

division of the Korean Peninsula and the Korean War developed after liberation. If
America had not divided Korea into the 38th parallel by force, would the Korean War
have broken out? If the Korean War had not broken out, would the crime of genocide
have happened? The answer would be absolutely 'No'. For these reasons, the origin of
genocide goes back to America that divided Korea after liberation. In other words, if
America had not intervened in Korea's domestic affairs, national division, the Korean
War, and genocide all would have never happened. It is certain that the Soviet Union
was somewhat responsible, but the absolute responsibility rests with America as CNN
revealed after the South-North June 15 Joint Declaration.
However it is open to question why this kind of thing happened in Korea although
the division initiated by America always may not bring about genocide. Moreover,
although Korea was divided into the South and the North due to division and both had
war, a question arises why South Korea, so called a democratic country, committed
much more genocide than North Korea.
America's occupation, American military administration, and the legitimacy of the
Lee Seung-man Administration form the basis of these questions. In other words, since
the government had no legitimacy, people's voluntary support was poor, and thereby the
government had to govern a people by force. To stay in power, the government had to
use governmental violence cruelly. In reality, such a cruel violence was resorted at the
beginning of American military administration and continued to the Lee Seung-man
Administration.
Immediately after liberation, America occupied the half of Korea and tried every
possible means to control the whole Korea. When a situation went contrary to their
wishes, they attempted to control even its half through division. To do this, America
imposed military rule on South Korea, appointed a large number of pro-Japanese
groups, and adopted intactly most laws and systems used by Japanese colony to rule
Korea. Consequently, the police who were the strongest under the American military
administration were exclusively occupied by pro-Japanese groups and their oppression
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rose to a climax. To rise against the American military administration's policy that
schemed to divide Korea and succeeded to vestiges of Japanese imperialism, the
October Uprising was raised in 1946 with its center on Daegu. As a result, there was
the first genocide that many people were sacrificed before the violence of America
military administration.
Then America enforced May 10 election that had only in South Korea in 1948 in
the name of UN and made progress the plan to divide Korea. To stop a national division
initiated by America, February 7 Save-the-Nation Drive was raised in 1948, followed by
Jeju April 3 Uprising. In Jeju, at least 30,000-40,000 residents were killed. It shows
that we had already experienced genocide under the American military administration.
It is natural that such governmental violence would be continued in the Lee Seung-man
Administration who took over the American military administration's policy of violence
entirely.
Furthermore, since May 10 Exclusive Election that had the Lee Seung-man
Administration departed ran counter to the universal principle of election that aims at
building a government newly by people's free choice and intended to conclude division,
it was not supported by the people. Accordingly, only 10% of 400 political and social
groups(40) joined in the election: all leftist and moderate(including Kim Gyu-sik)
political and social groups and most rightist political and social groups(including Kim
Gu's Provisional Government in Shanghai) viewed the May 10 Election for
Constitutional Assembly to depart Korean government as division election and therefore
rejected participation. Thus only some groups joined in the election, resulting in a lame
election of 10%: the Hanmin Party of pro-Japanese party and the ruling party under the
American military administration, Lee Seung-man's Independence Promotion Society,
organized groups of gangsters(including Seobuk Youth Group), and anti-communist
groups.
Having such a process and departing under the wing of the American military
administration, the Lee Seung-man Administration had ecological limitation that could
not be supported by the people. In addition, because it took over intactly the American
military administration's policy such as division, American-style capitalism(according to
a public-opinion poll at that time, Korean people wanted socialism and communism in
77% and capitalism only in 14%), appointing pro-Japanese groups and traitors to the
nation, oppressing unification power, suppressing the people such as laborers, it could
not enjoy real legitimacy. With the Yeosu and Suncheon Uprising as a turning point, the
Lee Seung-man Administration made the National Security Law on Dec. 1, 1948. As
many as 110,000 persons were arrested or detained and the Protection and Guidance
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League with over 300,000 members were established to oppress totally freedom of
residence, movement, and ideology. In this way, governmental violence became
rampant even under the Lee Seung-man Administration just as under the American
military administration.
The Korean War broke out in such a situation and the Lee Seung-man
Administration faced a life-or-death crisis. Since the government without legitimacy
was not supported by the people, they tried to maintain their power only with the use of
force and thereby groups or peoples suspected or hindered in them all were killed on the
pretext of an emergency situation. Besides, the nature of the military and the police
supporting the government brought about increased genocide.
Because the military and the police mostly were filled with pro-Japanese groups or
traitors to the nation, they were destined to be punished as the first cleanup subject. It is
more likely for them to commit genocide for their survival. Although America who
were transferred the wartime operational control from the Lee Seung-man
Administration should control over genocide committed by the military and the police,
they took the initiative in genocide such as Nogeun-ri Genocide and therefore genocide
got increased more and more.
In conclusion, immoral crime of genocide has its origin in the American military
administration's policy of Korea occupation and continued by the Lee Seung-man
Administration without legitimacy during the Korean War. Most of them were
increased and committed by pro-Japanese groups and traitors to the nation who made up
the government. Also although America assumed the ultimate responsibility of
genocide committed by the military and the police as a operational controller, they
neglected and even helped their acts and made situation worse. It is true that genocide
was committed by others such as American soldiers joining in the Korean War, North
Korea People's Army, local leftists, or civilian ideologic groups. Also a massacre was
conducted in North Korea by the U.S. army and the Korean army for about 40 days
when North Korea was occupied. But their scale or extent was much lower than the Lee
Seung-man Administration's systematic genocide, so detailed discussion will be
omitted.

V. Types and features of genocide

Genocide reaches as many as one million in number and its range is from the Jeju
April 3 Uprising to the Korean War in a period; from leftist and rightist people of all
ages and both sexes to ordinary people not belonging in both parties in victim; from the
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U.S. army to civilians in offender; from the South and the North, to mountain and field
and river and sea in place, and from execution by shooting to spearing, beheading, water
burial, and burying alive in a means to kill. This author divides such complicated
genocide into several types for analysis and examines their feature by type as follows.
The analysis by type targets genocide committed in South Korea. Regarding North
Korea, general aspects will be presented descriptively rather than analyzed by type, but
some analysis by type will be tried as long as materials allow.

1. Genocide by period

1)Genocide in time of small war

Small-scale killing happened immediately after the American military
administration began. However, we may consider that systematic, intentional, and
serious genocide began with 'small war' of the February 7 Save-the-Nation Struggle in
1948 that declared an armed strife officially in order to stop national division and
establish unified nation by frustrating the May 10 Exclusive Election. Since then, as
many as 30,000-40,000 persons were killed during the Jeju April 3 Uprising, followed
by genocide of the Yeosu and Suncheon Uprising in October 1948 under the American
military administration and the Lee Seung-man Administration. Before the Korean War,
genocide happened extensively in the name of liquidating red guerrillas around Mt. Jiri
where guerrilla warfare became serious, including Yeosu, Suncheon, Gurye, Gokseong,
and Gwangyang. During the Gyeonbyeokcheongya Operation(one tactic of blocking
the supply of food) used in the course of serious cleanup operation of guerrilla units,
residents living in the mountains such as Mungyeong were mainly killed.

2)Genocide early in the Korean War

America started aerial bombing immediately after the Korean War broke up and
many people in Iri Station were killed. While the U.S. army involved seriously in war,
genocide in Nogreun-ri was developed. Most terrible was to kill members of the
Protection and Guidance League. From June, as many as 200,000 members out of
300,000 may be killed nationwide. It was a false accusation that caused a vicious circle
of genocide thereafter. It is thought that Lee Seung-man directly intervened in this
genocide. Then during war, those who were suspected of Reds or not cooperative to the
military and the police were killed or detained in the name of pre-arrest. In addition,
convicted or unconvicted prisoners were killed together in this course.
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Initial genocide of the Protection and Guidance League members made the loop of
chain genocide, and then the military, the police, government employees, and their
family were killed by genocide victims' families in the place occupied by North Korea.
With the North Korean People's Army's occupation, pro-American groups, reactionary
elements, and traitors to the nation were killed.

3)Genocide late in the Korean War

When Seoul was recovered on Sept. 28, 1950, the battle front was moved into
North Korea, and the war entered the last stage, genocide were committed both in South
and North Korea. First of all, retreating North Korean soldiers killed rightists or bad
reactionary elements in prison. Then returned Korean army killed those supporting the
North Korean People's Army and families of those killed by leftists made a reprisal.
Genocide in the second battle line was committed in the course of punitive operation in
mountain areas such as Mt. Jiri where partisans worked greatly. When the Chinese
army participated in the war, the National Defense Force was organized hurriedly and
its 50,000 military men were killed by starvation and disease. In North Korea, the U.S.
army and the Korean military and police killed many civilians for 40 days when they
occupied. After the war came to a lull, serious genocide were committed by the U.S.
army's scorched-land operation.

4)Genocide committed in North Korea in a brief period of tranquility

In early summer in 1951, the battle line went through a brief period of tranquility
between the 38th parallel. Although land war came to a lull, the U.S. army continued
air laid or shelling from a warship and many residents in the rear, not the front line,
were killed. In Wonsan, the largest city in the east coast, the United States Navy
continued bombing 1 minute before a cease-fire agreement was concluded. It was the
longest encircling attack(861 days) in its history. As a result, hundreds of thousands of
people were killed. It is known that the total dead would reach 12-15% of population in
North Korea including those shot in combat.

2. Genocide by offender

Genocide offenders can be divided roughly into two: the U.S. army, the Korean
army, the police, and irregular army such as Seobuk Youth Group in South Korea side
and general occupation agencies including the North Korean People's Army, partisans,
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and local leftists in North Korea side. Let us look at the aspects or features of genocide
by offender.
The main target of genocide committed by the U.S. army was refugees, and they
used machine-gunning to kill them in South Korea. As in Nogeun-ri, sometimes they
regarded refugees as an enemy and machine-gunned directly. Genocide happened
largely around the battle front early in the war, while concentrated in North Korea late
in the war. In North Korea, barbarous and direct genocide was committed for 40 days
when the U.S. army, and the Korean army occupied and unspecified residents were
killed in the last stage of the war by getting burnt throughout the North Korea, bombing
indiscriminately. The U.S. army's genocide is characterized by the combination of
racialism.
The Korean army committed genocide in both the front and the rear. Those who
were suspected of leftist were mainly killed through pre-arrest by the military and the
police in the southern battle line in the early stage. In the last stage, many residents
living in mountain areas, centering on Mt. Jiri, were killed in the second battle line
while 11th Division liquidated guerilla units. This genocide went back to before the
Korean War. As confirmed before, since 11th Division's operation order regarded all
residents in the mountains as their enemy, genocide must be expected in respect of
structure. Genocide in the rear started with the Protection and Guidance League
members. While the Counter Intelligence Corps ferreted those taking side with Reds,
red guerrillas, or connecting guerrillas all over the nation, many innocent people were
killed. In particular, indiscriminate killing was anticipated, considering that General
Kim Chang-ryong ordered to sacrifice 10 persons if one Red could be killed. His
suspicion of killing tens of thousands people in Busan after arresting three times may be
true.
As mentioned earlier, the police had to submit to their fate in anti-Communism
because they worked as the Japanese army or police under the Japanese Imperialism,
just as the military. They committed the same genocide as the military. But they also
committed greatly personal killing or acts of brutality as well as genocide. Their
foundation of arbitrary killing or acts of brutality was Lee Sung-man's 'Special Measure
Order'.
Genocide committed by irregular army was mainly directed by vigilante corps or
security corps in every region, including Seobuk Youth Group, Ganghwa Homeland
Defense Commando, who was reported to kill more than 2,300 persons, Taegeuk
Corps(rightist students secret society) leading Goyang Geumjeonggul Genocide that
killed 1,000 residents, and Minbo Corps in Wolseogn-gun, Geyongbuk(Leader Lee
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Hyeop-u). As Seobuk Youth Group gained a bad name for their barbarity and
unlawfulness in the Jeju April 3 Uprising, their ill repute was well-known as the military
or the police. For example, Lee Hyeop-u, mentioned above, got a false report of
supporting reds on July 7, 1949, killed the Kim Ha-jung family(8 members) who mostly
consisted of children, and took their property of 100 patches of rice paddy. He
committed many murders and incendiarism, and plundered people's property. Victims
reached two million. He was nominated by the Liberal Party and elected for the third
term, but was sentenced to death after the April 19 Revolution. Genocide committed by
irregular army mostly aimed at extorting property or female matter.
Genocide offenders in the North Korea side include governmental bodies centering
on the North Korean People's Army, partisans, and local leftists. As reviewed
previously, governmental bodies centering on the North Korean People's Army decided
execution of reactionary elements according to judicial process in accordance with
North Korean Law. Also they officially ordered to prohibit acts of brutality. However,
when they retreated after Incheon Landing Operation, law, judgment, or temperate
execution did not observed and many rightists put in prisons or kindergartens were
killed. Since most local leftists were victims in genocide of the Protection & Guidance
members, they committed killing, leaning to retaliatory feeling immediately after the
North Korean People's Army occupied. Although partisans controlled killing or acts of
brutality, compared to a punitive force, they involved in genocide in the mountains
reportedly.
North Korea showed controlled behavior in the level of governmental bodies, but
local leftists or partisans revealed barbarity or unlawfulness more. On the other hand, in
South Korea, such governmental authority as the military or the police disclosed just as
unlawful barbarous, fabricated, and indiscriminative characteristics as irregular army.
The number of victim committed by North Korea, although we admit 129,000 that
government announced officially, is much less than that committed by South Korean
government or irregular army.

3. Genocide by victim

Victims may be divided into the Protection and Guidance League members in
Pyeongtaek and southward, prisoners, residents around the second battle line, refugees,
suspects of taking sides with the Reds, red guerrillas, suspects of connecting guerrilla,
or unspecified civilians without any suspicion by the Korean army's questioning or
house search.
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Since genocide of the Protection and Guidance League members was committed
nationwide at a similar period by order of the highest -ranking officials of the Lee
Seung-man Administration, it was the largest and most systematic genocide committed
frist after the Korean War, reaching 200,000 - 250,000. It became the apple of
retaliatory killing and contributed to consecutive murder.
As identified in 1,800-victim genocide in Deajeon Prison, prisoners were killed
nationwide by order of the highest-ranking officials. It is estimated that their number
reaches 20,000, but if the unconvicted are included, 10,000-20,000 will be added. Their
genocide were mostly committed by the military or the police.
Most refugees were killed by the U.S. army, but some North Korean refugees were
killed by the military or the police. Since these always became the target of the military,
the police, or irregular army as suspects of taking sides with Reds, they were killed with
guilt.
Residents in the second battle line were always killed, being accusing of red
guerrillas, connecting guerrillas, or suspects of taking sides with Reds. According to the
operation order of the 11th Division, residents living in the mountains all regarded as
connecting guerrillas and were the target of execution by shooting. It is estimated that
their victim was bigger than the Protection and Guidance League members.
Victims by leftists were reactionary elements according to their classification,
including pro-Japanese groups, pro-American groups, and traitors to the nation and they
had no the right to vote. Also the police, members of the Anti-Communism League,
branch head of the National Society, and the military's family were included. According
to South Korean government's announcement, official victims reach 129,000.
In North Korea, hundreds of thousands of unspecified people were killed
throughout the whole region due to the U.S. army's "Scorched-Land Operation".
During their occupation for 40 days, people working for the Labor Party or
governmental bodies and leftist suspects were mostly killed. According to North
Korea's official announcement, they reach 172,000.

4. Genocide by act type of and its barbarity

The act types of genocide include execution by shooting, burying alive, scorched-
land operation, water burial, beheading by Japanese sword, starving to death, beating to
death, and bombing or machine-gunning. Scorched-land operation and machine-
gunning were mostly used by the U.S. army. The U.S. army tried machine-gunning
from the Jeju April 3 Uprising and in reality about 130 villages were scorched. Punitive
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forces including the 11th Division killed many innocent people by scorched-land
operation, named Gyeonbyeokcheongya. Water burial was mostly used in the coast
such as Busan or Tongyeong. Beheading by a Japanese sword was used habitually by
pro-Japanese groups serving in the Japanese army and police such as Kim Jong-won to
display retaliation or barbarity.
Genocide itself is the expression of brutality, but there are many examples which
show extreme barbarity beyond imagination. This author will present such examples in
order to illustrate how genocide committed under the Korean War, especially by Lee
Seung-man Administration reflected the characteristic of dirty war. The barbarity here
is based on humane and moral standards. War brings about barbarity and tragedy
greatly and in particular this kind of barbarity is focused on weak women, children, or
the elderly.
First, let us look at barbarity related to rape or outrage on women. A woman
teacher accused of the leftist side was outraged and buried secretly with pretty and
young women. Her legs were cut. In Chungmu and Tongyeong, military police officers
buried 800 women and men at sea, accusing them of Reds in order to cover up their
plunder on women. At that time, they took man and women to a warehouse and beat
them with their clothes stripped. In Gangseok-ri, Daegang-myeon, Namwon-gun, the
205th Unit of the 11th Division killed 60 villagers, pulled out 7 women, and stabbed
their necks, breasts, and even genitals widely. Then 19 villagers were beheaded by a
Japanese sword. Kim Jeom-dong stroke down necks twice by a Japanese sword, but
they did not die. He stroke down again, saying that "Mean boys! Why were your necks
so tough?". In Buk-myeon, Changwon-gun, Hwang Gwang-su, Admiral of the Navy
Intelligence Corps, killed 60 villagers and refugees, accusing them of Reds. A child
implored for his life, but he stoke him down by a Japanese sword. He also stabbed
women's breasts and cut their legs and arms. Yu Hae-in, head of Sinchang Police Box
in Asan-gun, trifled a woman in village and had his man trifled her again, and made a
woman in the leftist side as a mistress.
Let us look at unethical and immoral acts that are beyond conception as a human.
A typical example was Kim Jong-wan who was former Japanese army and was in Lee
Seung-man's favor. He gained the worst name before and after the Korean War. He
enjoyed beheading by a Japanese sword around Yeosu. On May 6, 1950 before the
Korean War broke out, he led Baekgol Corps to the sea at Gujo-ri, Ilun-myeon,
Geojedo. He drew up 1,000 villagers in cold water for one hour. He selected difficult
relations such as woman and her husband's father and man and his wife's mother, and
ordered them to slap each other's cheek. If they did not slap hard, he hit them
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repeatedly by butt plate or club. Such 'slapping' or 'carrying' was very common. In
Jeju, a punitive force brought villagers together and ordered men to carry their sons'
wives on their backs. Or they ordered grandfathers and their grandsons to stand face to
face and slap each other's cheek. Sometimes, when they shot people dead, they let
people stand in front of their family and ordered the family to give cheers, seeing their
fallen family.
In Tongyeong, the military put tens of innocent villagers into a warehouse, pressed
them to have sex, and finally buried them at sea. A senior master sergeant revealed his
unethical barbarity in an interview with me. He ordered a man and his younger
brother's wife to get out of their clothes and have sex, and rolled them up in a straw lug.
Such brutal acts was already reported in Jeju. The military forced unmarried men and
women or men and their wives' mothers to have sex in front of people, and shot them
dead. In Wando, the police killed a man and forced his mother to go round a village
with his liver in her mouth. This grandmother followed the police' order and was
sentenced to thirteen years. After serving her time for 7-8 years, she was released but
died after several months.
Such unethical acts do not occur just because of the Korean War. It was
anticipated well enough when pro-Japanese groups or traitors to the nation who were
tainted with the liquidating human rights of Japanese militarism took the reins of South
Korean government under the wing of the American military administration who
adopted anti-Communism as a top priority. As described in Japan Diary written by
Mark Gain, the police committed similar acts of brutality under the American military
administration. Even before the Korean War, punitive forces' barbarity was common
event as see in the Jeju April 3 Uprising and the Yeosu Uprising. But it happened more
frequently in a big way after the Korean War.

5. Comparison of South Korea with North Korea in genocide

This author will compare South and North Korean government in genocide policy
and present contrastive characteristics found generally. The comparison will be
restricted within fragmentary limits such as quantitative scale, court procedure, and
government's official policy.
Let us look at quantitative comparison. Reportedly, genocide in South Korea
reaches one million persons by the Lee Seung-man Administration, and 129,000 by
leftists. But it seems to be somewhat overstated. We cannot know the scale of genocide
committed by the U.S. army exactly. Considering Nogeun-ri genocide and other 60
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cases, it reaches 2,400. But since it is very difficult to grasp its scale because it is hard
to let people know in case of killing by the U.S. army's bombing, and killed residents
have not reported due to urbanization, industrialization, aging, or their death.
In North Korea, according to official announcement, the U.S. army and the Korean
army killed 172,000 residents for their 40-day occupation period. There is no evidence
of genocide committed by the North Korean Peoples' Army and the Chinese army. The
American army's circumstantial logic that genocide was necessary for unavoidable
circumstances makes no sense, compared with the Chinese army. Jeon Chung-nim's
sister, who searches for many dispersed family members, said that the Chinese army
rarely talked with women due to strict military discipline. But they got along with
children. We could not find the cruelty showed in the Chiang Kai-shek army in
Manchuria."
In the last stage of a war, North Korea had great genocide due to the U.S. army's
scorched-land operation. As shown earlier, the number of victims is estimated hundreds
of thousands of people, considering that 2/3 of 20 residents were killed by the U.S.
army's brutal bombing in Sinuiju.
In governmental official policy, South Korea's 'Special Measures Order' and talk
about Geochang Incidence, and the 11th Division's operation order can be regarded as
the original cause that made genocide prevalent. In North Korea, it was provided in
quarter instructions that pro-Japanese groups, pro-American groups, or bad reactionary
elements should be punished in accordance with North Korean Law and judgement. In
this sense, their genocide may be controlled. But when they are retreated, it did not
observed well. In case of those who took sides with the U.S. army and the Korean
Army for 40-day occupation period, their punishment was very different from South
Korea. They were punished 3-month, 6-month, or keeping indoors according to the
level of cooperation, but intemperate retaliatory killing such as genocide was very rare.
Although most genocide was committed by governmental power, the difference
between South and North Korea is very big in its legality, barbarity, or intensity. If
South Korea may be referred to as runway genocide, North Korea may be referred to as
somewhat controlled genocide.
In case of a war, it is highly probable to commit genocide in the personal level.
More important is how these criminal acts were encouraged and connived
systematically by official groups. North Korea officially appealed to the world for
America's 'criminal acts' and asked them to investigate the truth openly. Finally
international investigation has been conducted. On the other hand, America and South
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Korea denounced the genocide or treacherous act by North Korea but have never asked
international-level investigation.
This difference may be caused by several factors. It is certain that the Korean
army's origin that mostly consisted of former Japanese military and the North Korean
army's origin that mostly consisted of anti-Japanese guerrillas are one of important
determinants