The 34th Joint Memorial Ceremony and Commemoration for the 71st Anniversary of the Geochang Incident Victims Held

Victims' Families Hope for Institutional Foundation for Compensation and Reparation

Geochang County, Gyeongnam Province, held the 34th Joint Memorial Service and Commemoration Ceremony for the 71st anniversary of the Geochang Incident victims at the Geochang Incident Memorial Park.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] On the 27th, Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province held the 34th Joint Memorial Ceremony and Commemoration for the Victims of the 71st Anniversary of the Geochang Incident at the Geochang Incident Memorial Park.

The event was attended by County Governor Goo In-mo, Gyeongsangnam-do Deputy Governor Choi Man-rim, Yoon Byung-il, head of the Past Affairs Support Group, Jeong Geun-sik, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, provincial and county council members, Lee Seong-yeol, president of the Geochang Incident Victims’ Families Association, as well as heads of organizations and 700 bereaved families, comforting the spirits of the innocent victims and the grief and sorrow of their families.

The ceremony began with a performance by the Geochang Wind Orchestra, followed by flower offering and incense burning, progress report, memorial address, reading of memorial poems, commemorative performances, and a chorus of the Memorial Song. Excellent works from the 6th Geochang Incident Youth Literary Contest were also exhibited.

Additionally, the memorial poem recitation by Lim Ji-min, a student at Geochang Girls' High School and grand prize winner of the 6th Youth Literary Contest, and the soul-sending dance prepared by the National Gugak Center and the Geochang Oreum Dance Troupe deeply conveyed the pent-up resentment and sorrow of the victims and their families of the Geochang Incident.

The Geochang Incident, which marks its 71st anniversary this year, was a tragic event from February 9 to 11, 1951, when the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Regiment, 11th Division of the Republic of Korea Army conducted an anti-communist guerrilla operation called “Gyeonbyeokcheongya,” resulting in the brutal massacre of 719 innocent civilians over three days.

Governor Goo said in his memorial address, “Is it not our duty, living in the present, to correct the distorted history of the Geochang Incident? I feel a heavy responsibility as I make this vow. Geochang-gun will also do its utmost to ensure the passage of the compensation and relief law.”

Lee Seong-yeol, president of the bereaved families association, said during the memorial, “Although 71 years have passed since the Geochang Incident, I earnestly hope that the 21st National Assembly will enact legislation to ensure that the wounds and pain of the sacrificed souls and their families do not continue, establishing a systematic foundation for just compensation and relief.”

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