Truth and Reconciliation Commission: "Dismissal of Vietnam War Massacre Investigation, Outside Scope"

Among the cases applied for and received by the 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), about half were 'mass civilian casualty incidents.' Regarding the dismissal of the investigation into the Vietnam War massacre case, the opinion was given that it was "because it was outside the scope of the investigation."

Chairman Kim Kwang-dong of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 25th, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission held a '2nd Anniversary Press Conference on the Start of Investigation' at around 10:30 a.m. at the Namsan Square Building in Jung-gu, Seoul. The press conference was attended by Kim Gwang-dong, Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along with standing commissioners Lee Ok-nam and Lee Sang-hoon.

According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, since the investigation began on December 10, 2020, a total of 20,092 past cases were received over one year. This is an 85% increase compared to the 1st Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which received 10,860 applications during the one year from December 1, 2005.

The most common type of case was 'mass civilian casualty incidents.' There were 9,957 cases of mass civilian casualties, accounting for 49.6% of the total. This was followed by cases related to hostile forces with 3,885 cases (19.3%), others and non-applicable cases with 2,692 cases (13.4%), human rights violations and suspicion of fabrication cases with 2,435 cases (12.1%), confirmed judgment cases with 453 cases (2.3%), the March 15 Uprising with 339 cases (1.7%), and anti-Japanese independence movements with 129 cases (0.6%).

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission plans to extend the investigation period as there are still matters to be investigated. Currently, the case processing rate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is only 35%. Chairman Kim said, "With only one year left since the start of the investigation, we will push for an extension of the investigation period as permitted by law," adding, "We will strive to move toward a future where the nation reconciles and unites based on historical truth."

Regarding the dismissal of the investigation into the Vietnam War massacre case, which caused controversy the day before, the position was that it is outside the scope of investigation. Chairman Kim stated, "We judged that cases involving wars with foreign countries and incidents involving foreigners during wartime are outside the scope of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act," and added, "If there is damage, it can be resolved through court litigation rather than the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or through diplomatic channels."

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