Geochang Bereaved Families Association Holds Memorial Ceremony for the 72nd Anniversary of Korean War Civilian Victims Joint Memorial Service

The 72nd Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims of the Korean War is being held.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] The Bereaved Families Association of Civilian Victims in the Geochang Area during and after the Korean War announced on the 30th that it held the 72nd Anniversary Joint Memorial Service and Commemoration Ceremony for Civilian Victims during and after the Korean War at the Geochang Senior Club auditorium in Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam.

This event was organized to console the spirits of innocent civilian victims who died during and after the Korean War and to ease the grief of their bereaved families. About 100 people, including Kim Tae-hee, Deputy Governor of Geochang, Kim Jong-du, Chairman of the County Council, provincial and county council members, and bereaved families, attended. The event was conducted in two parts: the first part was the joint memorial service, and the second part was the commemoration ceremony.

In his condolence speech, Chairman Kang Chang-nam of the Bereaved Families Association said, “I hope that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was reestablished after more than ten years, will soon conduct a fact-finding investigation so that the spirits and bereaved families of those who were innocently sacrificed during and after the Korean War can be comforted and the distorted history can be corrected.”

Kim Tae-hee, Deputy Governor of Geochang, said, “Through the memorial service, I hope to console the restless spirits who were unfairly sacrificed and that the wounds of the bereaved families who endured years of hardship will be healed even a little,” adding, “We will do our best to uncover the truth of civilian victim incidents and restore the honor of the bereaved families.”

National Assembly member Kim Tae-ho conveyed a message of consolation through a condolence letter, saying, “I hope the pain of the bereaved families can be healed even a little, and I will strive to help recover their wounded hearts.”

Geochang-gun has applied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the truth verification of 63 cases to place the civilian victim incidents in their proper historical context. They have also applied for 100 million won in joint project funds for excavation of remains and 30 million won for joint oral history recording projects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.