Truth and Reconciliation Commission Excavates 60 Remains at Site of 'Seosan Collaboration Accusation Victim Incident'

The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) announced on the 30th that more than 60 remains and personal effects were excavated at the site of the 'Chungnam Seosan Collaboration Suspect Victim Incident' remains excavation.

The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced on the 30th that more than 60 skeletal remains and personal belongings were excavated at the site of the "Chungnam Seosan Collaboration Accusation Victim Incident" excavation. / Photo by Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been conducting remains excavation since the 10th at a hillside near the Bonghwasan traffic trench in Seosan City, Chungnam. This excavation related to collaboration suspect incidents is the second following the excavation in Asan, Chungnam.

The excavation site, the traffic trench, was dug by the People's Army during their occupation in 1950 in preparation for battle. After the area was retaken, people suspected of collaboration in the Seosan region were collectively massacred here. During the investigation by the 1st Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2008, many witnesses testified that large-scale massacres occurred at the eup and myeon levels. It is also a site discovered during on-site investigations with witnesses to the shootings and body recovery personnel through the Seosan Police Station's 'Identity Record Review Report.'

The excavation area is approximately 60 meters in total length and divided into three zones. The excavated remains total between 60 and 68 bodies: 13 in Zone 1, 30 to 35 in Zone 2, and 17 to 20 in Zone 3. The remains were densely excavated along the narrow traffic trench, which is about 1 meter or less in width and depth. Not only thick femurs but also vertebrae and ribs were found intact.

One set of remains found in Zone 1 was discovered lying face down toward the bottom of the traffic trench, with both arms bent backward and wearing shoes. M1 cartridge casings were also confirmed nearby. Particularly in some zones, remains were stacked two or three layers deep, with other remains placed between the legs of some bodies. This supports testimonies that after the massacre, wild dogs dragged the bodies to the village, and the village chief and youths reburied the bodies inside the traffic trench. Additionally, personal effects such as white four-hole buttons, rubber band trouser strings, and rings were found at the excavation site.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission published the 'Final Report on the Survey of Presumed Burial Sites and the Establishment of a Mid- to Long-Term Roadmap for Remains Excavation' in July last year to create legal and institutional conditions for effective remains excavation and to ensure that excavation projects can continue even after the commission's conclusion. Based on this, excavation is being conducted at seven sites across six regions nationwide.

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