Uiryeong-gun to Restore Residents' Spirits Shattered by 'Woo Soon-gyeong Shooting Rampage' 40 Years Ago

County Secures 700 Million Won in National Funds... 1.5 Billion Won Project Budget for 'Uiryeong 4·26 Memorial Park' to Begin Construction Next Year

An elderly grandmother is grieving as she recalls the Gungnyu shooting incident in Uiryeong-gun 40 years ago. [Provided by Uiryeong-gun Office]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Wook] On April 25, 1982, the night in Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam was a nightmare. Police officer Woo, who was stationed at Gungnyuji Station, stole two Calvin rifles, 180 live rounds, and seven grenades from the reserve forces' weapons storage and indiscriminately fired at residents, resulting in the worst tragedy in history with 62 dead and 39 seriously injured.

"I lost my husband that day 40 years ago. Three bullets passed through my body. The president came at that time. I cried uncontrollably saying, 'Mr. President, please take care of these many orphans who lost their parents.' Today is the day my grudge is resolved. Thank you, County Governor."

On October 31 at 2 p.m., at the county office meeting room, the first meeting of the 'Gungnyu Incident Victims Memorial Park Construction Project Promotion Committee' was held, where the 90-year-old mother repeatedly bowed her head.

Grandmother Bae Byung-soon recalled the memories of that day, saying it was the first time in 40 years she spoke about it. She said, "After 40 years of heartbreaking pain, I have come to this day. I am deeply moved that the county governor is taking the lead to provide a space and hold memorial rites." She added, "Please prepare a place where many people can gather so that my late husband can also look down happily from heaven."

O Tae-wan, Governor of Uiryeong County, Gyeongnam, and the Promotion Committee members for the Memorial Park construction. [Provided by Uiryeong County Office]

As Grandma Bae wished, a park to commemorate the victims of the 'Woo Police Officer Incident' will be established in Uiryeong. The park's name has been finalized as 'Uiryeong 426 Memorial Park.'

Uiryeong-gun held a historic first meeting attended by 25 local representatives, including 10 representatives of the bereaved families.

County Governor Oh Tae-wan's proposal during a meeting with then-Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum in December last year, stating, "The police symbolize public authority, and since this atrocity was committed by the police, the state is responsible. Therefore, the nation should comfort their souls with national funds," served as the catalyst for forming the promotion committee and finalizing the memorial park construction.

Uiryeong-gun secured a special grant of 700 million KRW from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in May this year, and plans to build the memorial park with a total project cost of 1.5 billion KRW, including provincial and county funds.

At the meeting, in accordance with the bereaved families' wishes that "special people should lead special matters," Governor Oh was unanimously appointed as the promotion committee chairman. Mr. Ha Man-yong, who was the administrative section chief of Uiryeong-gun at the time of the incident and handled the accident response, and Mr. Ryu Young-hwan, a representative of the bereaved families, were elected as vice-chairmen.

Among the agenda items, the naming of the park sparked intense debate. Some bereaved family members requested that the name 'Gungnyu Incident' not be mentioned, saying, "We don't even want to say 'Gungnyu Incident.' We suffered greatly over the years just because we lived in Gungnyu," and asked that the place name 'Gungnyu' not be included in the memorial park's name.

There was also discussion on whether the words 'Healing' or 'Memorial' were more appropriate for the park's name. It was agreed that it is important to first establish the space as a place of memorial. The committee members also expressed their determination to continue developing the park and making efforts for healing and restoring honor.

Several strong candidate sites for the park location were selected, and it was announced that the final decision would be made after legal review and residents' opinions.

Governor Oh said, "'When you think of Uiryeong, you think of Woo Police Officer.' We lived in such an era. Now, we must overcome that and move forward to a new world."

He added, "My heart is torn by the living testimonies of the bereaved families today. With a sense of historical mission, I will surely complete the memorial park project properly."

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