It was revealed that the South Korean government have not paid any reparation to the families of victims killed by North Korean soldiers and rebel forces during the Korean War era. Instead, some people who joined the North Korean army and guerilla groups in South Korea are receiving significant monetary compensation—showing another sign of the Moon Jae-in administration’s pro-North inclination.
According to Rep. Kim Yong-pan from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on September 30, this is because of the government’s stance that “South Korea is not responsible for the victims, since the perpetrator is North Korea.” Due to this, people who joined the North Korean army or rebel forces in South Korea are the only ones able to receive compensation from the government. They can say that they were victims of the “South Korean army and police.” A victim of the South Korean authorities during the war receives 150 million won ($126,475), and there were hundreds of people who applied for the reparation. According to Rep. Kim, some people are lying, saying that they were victims of the South Korean army and police even though they joined the North Korean army or rebel forces. There are several lawyers and civic groups who help people receive this type of compensation.
“I have reviewed various data from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and it was revealed that there was not a single South Korean citizen who received compensation from the government, even when they [family members] were killed by hostile forces including the North Korean army,” said Rep. Kim. “However, there were hundreds of people [families] who applied for the compensation to receive 150 million won, even though they joined the North Korean army or rebel forces during the Jeju 4.3 incident and were killed by South Korean army and police. Also, there was no review process to verify whether they joined hostile forces and did horrible things to our people.”
The Jeju 4.3 incident occurred in 1948 on Jeju Island. It refers to an uprising by the Workers’ Party of South Korea and its supporters who were against the division of Korea and the establishment of a separate independent government in South. During that time, the South Korean government ordered armed forces located in Yeosu, South Jeolla, to subdue the riot, but the forces turned against the government and seized the Yeosu and Suncheon regions. The rebel forces spread slogans around the region saying “We are against going into Jeju,” “U.S. forces should withdraw immediately,” “Hurray for the establishment of the communist regime.” The rebel forces killed many police officers and the so-called bourgeois as well as young conservative activists. The South Korean government sent the army to subdue the rebel forces, and many civilians were killed during the process.
“Innocent civilians who were killed by the South Korean army and police should be compensated, but people who sided with the rebels and carried out hostile acts against others are perpetrators of crimes,” said Kim. “The current government policy should be reviewed so that those perpetrators are exempt from receiving compensation.”
According to Kim, there were many families who first applied to receive compensation by saying their relatives were killed by the North Korean forces who were rejected and then reapplied, saying their relatives were victims of South Korean forces. Kim also pointed out that the government-run Truth and Reconciliation Commission appears to guide people to receive compensation this way.
The commission’s Q&A section on its homepage says as the following:
“Question 47. Can I write down the South Korean army, police, and others if I cannot identify the perpetrator?”
“Yes, that is correct. You can write the South Korean army, police, and others if you have difficulty in identifying the perpetrator.”
Rep. Kim said this is nonsensical, “If someone cannot identify the perpetrator, they should be instructed to write down ‘unknown,’ but the commission totally excluded the possibility of hostile forces such as the North Korean army being the perpetrator.”
According to Kim, there was one family who received compensation by saying their family member was killed by the South Korean army. It was later found out that he was a victim abducted by the North Korean army. “People are receiving compensation by replacing the perpetrator with the South Korean army from the North Korean army,” said Kim. “Due to this, we are experiencing an unusual situation where the number of victims killed by North Korea falls, while the number of victims of the South Korean army grows.”
Kim said he suspects the commission is trying to portray the South Korean army as the perpetrator of crimes during this chaotic era, instead of the North Korean army who invaded the South.
