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During the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea’s military slaughtered over 1,100 South Korean Christians and Catholics, according to a governmental reconciliation panel on Tuesday.
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the North’s Korean People’s Army massacred 1,026 Christians and 119 Catholics during its departure from the South following an amphibious Incheon landing operation by UN forces, also known as Operation Chromite, on September 26, 1950.
South Korean and UN forces were forced back to the southern tip of the peninsula after the war broke out on June 25, but the successful Operation Chromite swung the tide in favour of the South, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The massacres of religious people occurred when North Korea issued an order to “eradicate reactionary elements” ahead of its withdrawal from the South, according to the assessment based on document analysis, witness testimony, and visits to victim churches.
According to the research, South Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces suffered the most from the massacres. According to the report, North Korean forces massacred 66 members of a protestant church in Nonsan, South Chungcheong, on September 27-28, believing the congregation to be a hostile force.
On September 27, 167 elders and right-wing members of a protestant church were burned alive in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, according to the report. The massacres carried out by the North also took place in Yeonggwang and Yeongam, both in South Jeolla Province, according to the report.
