Jeonnam Province First Review of Yeosun Incident Victims and Bereaved Families' Reports... 163 Cases Submitted to Working Committee

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province has decided to submit 163 cases to the Yeosun Incident Working Committee through the first review of the ‘Yeosun Incident Victims and Bereaved Families Report’.

The province held the ‘Yeosun Incident Working Subcommittee’ at the provincial office on the 18th, attended by Yeosun Incident experts, civic groups, university professors, and officials from the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education, to conduct a preliminary review of the fact-finding results for 166 reports of victims and bereaved families of the Yeosun Incident.

The review targeted cases with a high possibility of being recognized as victims or bereaved families, considering it was the first review among over 2,200 reports received so far from Jeonnam Province and its cities and counties.

The review included ▲143 cases that had already undergone truth verification by the ‘Past Affairs Settlement Committee for Truth and Reconciliation’ and were reported to be recognized as victims or bereaved families under the ‘Yeosun Incident Special Act,’ ▲19 cases with supporting documents such as police security records and military court verdicts, and ▲4 cases without supporting documents but submitted guarantor statements.

The committee members thoroughly examined the reported contents and supporting evidence based on the fact-finding results from the province and local governments for the 166 victim and bereaved family reports.

In particular, for cases without supporting evidence but accompanied by statements from two guarantors, there was a heated discussion among the members regarding the relevance to the Yeosun Incident and the reliability of the guarantors’ testimonies.

In this review, 163 out of 166 cases were decided to be submitted to the working committee, while the remaining 3 cases were deferred due to the need for supplementary evidence or additional legal review.

Some members of the review stated, “Since the Yeosun Incident occurred 74 years ago, many cases lack supporting evidence, and there are almost no direct witnesses left. Most guarantor testimonies are indirect accounts passed down from their mothers or fathers,” and suggested that “the Honor Restoration Committee, which has the authority to decide victims, urgently needs to establish ‘victim decision criteria.’”

Park Jongpil, head of the Jeonnam Province Yeosun Incident Support Group, said, “The victim and bereaved family cases that passed this subcommittee’s preliminary review will be deliberated at the Yeosun Incident Working Committee (chaired by the governor) in early August, and then submitted to the Yeosun Incident Honor Restoration Committee (chaired by the Prime Minister).” He added, “The Honor Restoration Committee will review and decide within 90 days according to Article 11 of the Enforcement Decree of the Yeosun Incident Special Act.”

He continued, “We will continue to do our best to restore the honor of victims and bereaved families through active reporting, reception, and fact-finding.”

As of the 15th, 2,317 reports of Yeosun Incident victims and bereaved families have been received (101 for truth verification, 2,216 for victims and bereaved families). Reports of Yeosun Incident damages can be submitted by visiting or mailing to the provincial office (including cities, counties, and towns) until January 20, 2023. Reports can also be submitted to the Yeosun Incident Honor Restoration Committee Support Group located in Seoul.

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