No Gun Ri
Encyclopedia
No Gun Ri is a village in Hwanggan-myeon, Yeongdong County
, North Chungcheong Province in central South Korea
. The village was the site of the No Gun Ri Massacre
during the Korean War
in which U.S. soldiers shot and killed an undetermined number of Korean refugees.
On July 26–29, 1950, between eight and 400 South Korean civilians were killed in this village by soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
during the Korean War
. Those shot were refugees trying to escape advancing North Korean forces by crossing U.S. military lines. The U.S. soldiers, under the command of General Hobart R. Gay
, feared that North Korean soldiers in disguise might be among the refugees. The massacre gained international attention as a result of a report by Charles Hanley published by the Associated Press
in September 1999. This story quoted nine U.S. soldiers, including Ed Daily, who claimed that he machine gunned refugees and could, "still hear their cries, the little kids screaming." The AP won the Pulitzer Prize for this story in 2000. U.S. President Bill Clinton
issued a statement of regret in January 2001.
Daily, as well as three other U.S. soldiers quoted by the AP, were later exposed as frauds who were never even present at No Gun Ri. The AP cited an estimate of 400 killed which first appeared in a North Korean newspaper three weeks after the massacre. In 2001, the U.S. military responded to the AP account with a report that included a detailed aerial photograph taken on August 6, 1950. As there was no indication of bodies or of a mass grave in the photo, the report concluded that no more than fifty refugees could have been killed at No Gun Ri. A report by the South Korean military estimated that 150 refugees were killed.
Hanley responded that the bodies might not have been visible if they were placed under a bridge and covered with dirt. However, the aerial photo shows no major ground dislocation, so there is no obvious place where the dirt needed could have come from.
LTC Robert Bateman, a U.S. infantry officer whose book on No Gun Ri was published in 2002, estimated that between eight and thirty-five Korean refugees were killed. Although the AP story claimed that the refugees were unarmed, Bateman found U.S. Army records indicating that a rifle and a submachine gun were retrieved in the area. Bateman also argues that the stories Daily told at veteran's meetings contaminated the memories of authentic witnesses. Some veterans even insisted that they remembered Daily at No Gun Ri, although Daily has since confessed he was never there. Bateman's book won the Colby Award
in 2004.
In 2007, the South Korean government announced that it would build a $20 million "No Gun Ri History Park" in the village by 2009.
Yeongdong County
Yeongdong County is a county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The county should not be confused with the similarly named Yeongdong region.During the Korean War, this county was the site of the No Gun Ri incident.-Climate:-External links:*...
, North Chungcheong Province in central South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The village was the site of the No Gun Ri Massacre
No Gun Ri massacre
No Gun Ri Massacre was an incident during the Korean War in which an undetermined number of South Korean civilians were killed by soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment between July 26 and July 29, 1950 near the village of No Gun Ri...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in which U.S. soldiers shot and killed an undetermined number of Korean refugees.
On July 26–29, 1950, between eight and 400 South Korean civilians were killed in this village by soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army Cavalry Regiment, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. Its official nickname is "Garryowen," in honor of the Irish air Garryowen that was adopted as its march tune....
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Those shot were refugees trying to escape advancing North Korean forces by crossing U.S. military lines. The U.S. soldiers, under the command of General Hobart R. Gay
Hobart R. Gay
Lieutenant General Hobart Raymond Gay , nicknamed "Hap", was a United States Army general.-Early military career:...
, feared that North Korean soldiers in disguise might be among the refugees. The massacre gained international attention as a result of a report by Charles Hanley published by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
in September 1999. This story quoted nine U.S. soldiers, including Ed Daily, who claimed that he machine gunned refugees and could, "still hear their cries, the little kids screaming." The AP won the Pulitzer Prize for this story in 2000. U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
issued a statement of regret in January 2001.
Daily, as well as three other U.S. soldiers quoted by the AP, were later exposed as frauds who were never even present at No Gun Ri. The AP cited an estimate of 400 killed which first appeared in a North Korean newspaper three weeks after the massacre. In 2001, the U.S. military responded to the AP account with a report that included a detailed aerial photograph taken on August 6, 1950. As there was no indication of bodies or of a mass grave in the photo, the report concluded that no more than fifty refugees could have been killed at No Gun Ri. A report by the South Korean military estimated that 150 refugees were killed.
Hanley responded that the bodies might not have been visible if they were placed under a bridge and covered with dirt. However, the aerial photo shows no major ground dislocation, so there is no obvious place where the dirt needed could have come from.
LTC Robert Bateman, a U.S. infantry officer whose book on No Gun Ri was published in 2002, estimated that between eight and thirty-five Korean refugees were killed. Although the AP story claimed that the refugees were unarmed, Bateman found U.S. Army records indicating that a rifle and a submachine gun were retrieved in the area. Bateman also argues that the stories Daily told at veteran's meetings contaminated the memories of authentic witnesses. Some veterans even insisted that they remembered Daily at No Gun Ri, although Daily has since confessed he was never there. Bateman's book won the Colby Award
Colby Award
The William E. Colby Award was established in 1999 by the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium at Norwich University in Vermont in order to recognize "a first work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of intelligence operations, military history,...
in 2004.
In 2007, the South Korean government announced that it would build a $20 million "No Gun Ri History Park" in the village by 2009.
See also
- The Bridge at No Gun RiThe Bridge at No Gun RiThe Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Chapter from the Korean War is a book by Charles J. Hanley, Choe Sang-hun, and Martha Mendoza about the No Gun Ri incident, in which dozens or hundreds of Korean civilians died at the hands of US ground troops. In 2000 the three authors, all Associated Press...
- No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War IncidentNo Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War IncidentNo Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident is a 2002 book by United States military officer Robert Bateman about the events that took place at No Gun Ri in 1950 and the controversy that followed...
- Robert Bateman
- No Gun Ri MassacreNo Gun Ri massacreNo Gun Ri Massacre was an incident during the Korean War in which an undetermined number of South Korean civilians were killed by soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment between July 26 and July 29, 1950 near the village of No Gun Ri...
- Anti-American sentiment in KoreaAnti-American sentiment in KoreaThe Anti-Americanism in Korea began with the earliest contact between the two nations and continued after the division of Korea. In both North Korea and South Korea, anti-Americanism after the Korean War has focused on the presence and behavior of American military personnel , aggravated especially...
Further reading
- No Gun Ri Both the original AP story and a rebuttal.
- Greer, Judith, "What really happened at No Gun Ri?", Salon, Jun 3, 2002.
- "No Gun Ri: A Media Watch Special Report", Online NewsHour, PBS.