South Koreans bow in tribute to Vietnamese massacre victims

The mass murder took 135 lives in Quang Nam Province's Ha My Village 50 years ago

 

Nguyen Thi Thanh (C) and two South Korean mourners sit at a ceremony in the central province of Quang Nam on Sunday to commemorate a South Korean massacre that killed 135 people in February 1968. Thanh is a survivor of the mass murder in the province's Ha My Village which occurred during the peak of the Vietnam War, and days after a South Korean jeep was blown up by a landmine in the village.

Villagers perform death anniversary ceremonies for the 135 victims.

A mass grave for the victims

A stone stele bears the names the victims, many of them infants and unborn children who are listed as “nameless.”

80-year-old Tran Thi Thu bursts into tears as she listens to stories about the South Korean army’s raid. She lost a son and a daughter in the attack.

Thu lost her right foot due to a grenade. “It hurts a lot to recall all of this. But the past is in the past, and the South Koreans have come here and apologized many times, so I no longer feel resentment,” Thu said.

Ku Su Jeong, a reporter and vice president of the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation, stands among the crowd of South Koreans waiting to pay tribute. Ku has covered several stories to expose the war crime, and founded the “Sorry Vietnam” movement asking the South Korean government to admit the atrocity and apologize to Vietnam.

Kang U Il, President of the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation, lights incense to pay tribute to the victims.

South Korean legislator Kim Hyun Kwon bows to the stele carrying the victims' names.

A group of South Korean people kneel and bow to apologize to the people of Quang Nam for the massacre.