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US to Establish Nogunri Monument to Innocent S. Korean Victims
The United States has promised to set up a monument to the victims as a "symbol of deep regret" for the innocent South Korean people killed by the US troops during the Korean War.
Under a joint statement by South Korea and the United States at a conference held here Friday morning after a year-long joint investigation on the Nogunri Massacre, a 750,000-US-dollar scholarship fund will be created for more than 30 students who are members of the victims' families.
In July 1950, the US troops killed Korean refugees at Nogunri of North Chongchung Province of South Korea.
Despite the conclusion of the incident, the victims have not received any financial compensation due to the US government's policy that compensation cannot be determined by consultations with the South Korean government.
So South Korean victims seeking compensation had to file civil suits against the US government.
On the investigation result, the statement said, "the diligent and conscientious bilateral efforts of both countries in this review represent a significant contribution to the maintenance of the vital and long-standing ROK-US alliance."
On the incident, it said the US soldiers involved in the Nogunri incident during the Korean War "killed or injured an unconfirmed number of Korean refugees in the last week of July 1950 during a withdrawal under pressure."
However, the two teams could not secure direct evidence that orders to shoot came from commanding officers, the statement said none of the veterans interviewed by the US Army who fired at refugees stated that they received any order to fire.
Some other veterans, however, stated that they believed that such an order must have been given, it said.
On the number of victims, the statement said "because of the passage of 50 years and the effects of the conflict, the statements of Korean witnesses and US veterans about the number of refugees killed, injured or missing as the result of the events in the vicinity of No Gun Ri vary widely."
South Korea said an unverified number of 248 Korean civilians killed, injured or missing in the incident while the testimony of US veterans supports lower numbers.
On Thursday, US President Bill Clinton said in a statement that "on be behalf of the United States of America, I deeply regret that Korean civilians lost their lives at Nogunri."
Stopping short of apologizing, Clinton offered his "condolences " to the those injured in the shooting as and the families of the victims.
In addition, Clinton reportedly offered his apologies to South Korean president Kim Dae-jung privately after the two nations released their joint-statement on the results of their investigation into the incident entitled "Statement of Mutual Understandings."
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