The Bridge at No Gun Ri
Encyclopedia
The 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
writers, were awarded the Pulitzer Prize
for their 1999 investigative articles. Their various accounts of the historical event were immediately disputed by other journalists. The "AP Version" remains in dispute to this day. The book was a commercial failure, with most of the print run sold as "remainders" after two years. The reporters have not yet published any historical documents on this topic. The authors decline to submit their interviews, videotapes, audio records, or any other historical documents related to their historical research that they acquired over time to an archive. One of the reporters asserts that these historical documents are private, Associated Press, property. It is unclear if this position will change in the next 30–50 years.
in investigative reporting for breaking the story of No Gun Ri. Their award was almost immediately contested by U.S. News and World Report editors and reporters, as well as reporters from the Portland Press Herald
. Hanley, special correspondent with the Associated Press International Desk in New York, was in the area of a half dozen wars over thirty years. He is a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam who earned a good conduct medal
. Choe was an Associated Press reporter (now with the International Herald Tribune) based in Seoul, South Korea. Also a veteran of the Korean military, Choe received a special award for his No Gun Ri work from the Korean Journalists Association. Mendoza, the recipient of a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University
, is an Associated Press national reporter in San Jose, California, who has won numerous awards for her investigative work. Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft, who was the fourth member of the Pulitzer team and contributed to this book, is cited by the AP as an expert in public records and archival and electronic research.http://www.henryholt.com/nogunri/
.
Publishers Weekly
wrote:
Choe Sang-hun
-Early life:Choe was born in Ulju-gun, Ulsan in southern South Korea. He graduated from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.-Career:Choe began his journalism career as a political reporter at The Korea Herald, an English-language daily. He joined the Associated Press' Seoul Bureau in...
, and Martha Mendoza about the No Gun Ri
No Gun Ri
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...
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
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...
writers, were awarded the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for their 1999 investigative articles. Their various accounts of the historical event were immediately disputed by other journalists. The "AP Version" remains in dispute to this day. The book was a commercial failure, with most of the print run sold as "remainders" after two years. The reporters have not yet published any historical documents on this topic. The authors decline to submit their interviews, videotapes, audio records, or any other historical documents related to their historical research that they acquired over time to an archive. One of the reporters asserts that these historical documents are private, Associated Press, property. It is unclear if this position will change in the next 30–50 years.
Publisher's Description
In the fall of 1999, a team of Associated Press investigative reporters broke the news that U.S. troops had massacred a large group of South Korean civilians early in the Korean War. Their reports brought to light a story that they claimed had been suppressed for decades, alleging that their story confirmed allegations the U.S. military had sought to dismiss. It made headlines around the world. Now the team tells the larger, human story behind the incident through the eyes of the people who allegedly survived it. (The AP team admits that it cannot verify the presence of any of their alleged witnesses.) The American side, the green recruits of the good time U.S. army in Japan, was made up of teenagers who viewed unarmed farmers as enemies and of generals who had never led men into battle. On the Korean side were peasant families forced to flee their ancestral village, caught between the invading North Koreans and the U.S. Army. Based on some archival research and a claim of more than 500 interviews with U.S. veterans and Korean survivors, The Bridge at No Gun Ri is an extraordinary account of the tragic events of July 1950, which the world should never forget. (None of the interview transcripts have yet been donated to an academic institution or other site where they may be verified, evaluated, or even counted. The original AP estimation of interviews was "125", though this climbed to "500" over the four months between when they published their story, and when the team won the Pulitzer.)Authors
Charles J. Hanley, Sang-Hun Choe and Martha Mendoza were awarded the 2000 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in investigative reporting for breaking the story of No Gun Ri. Their award was almost immediately contested by U.S. News and World Report editors and reporters, as well as reporters from the Portland Press Herald
Portland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
. Hanley, special correspondent with the Associated Press International Desk in New York, was in the area of a half dozen wars over thirty years. He is a U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam who earned a good conduct medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
. Choe was an Associated Press reporter (now with the International Herald Tribune) based in Seoul, South Korea. Also a veteran of the Korean military, Choe received a special award for his No Gun Ri work from the Korean Journalists Association. Mendoza, the recipient of a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, is an Associated Press national reporter in San Jose, California, who has won numerous awards for her investigative work. Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft, who was the fourth member of the Pulitzer team and contributed to this book, is cited by the AP as an expert in public records and archival and electronic research.http://www.henryholt.com/nogunri/
Reviewers
Historian Robert Bateman takes issue with the AP account in his 2002 book No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War IncidentNo Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident
No 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...
.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
wrote:
- In the early days of the Korean War, as defeat began sliding into disaster, inexperienced, poorly commanded U.S. troops received higher orders to stop, by force if necessary, civilian movement through their lines. They responded, the journalists found, by massacring a number of South Korean civilians near the village of No Gun Ri over a period of three days. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805071830/