Sinchon Massacre
Encyclopedia
The Sinchon Massacre was an alleged mass murder
of civilians, communist sympathizers and North Korea
n loyalists in the autumn of 1950, in or near the town of Sinchon
, during the outbreak of the Korean War
. Sinchon is currently located in South Hwanghae province, North Korea. North Korean sources claim that approximately 35,000 people were killed by American military forces and other supporters during the course of 52 days, which would have been about a quarter of the population of the county. Jack Willey of The Militant claimed that "Ri Song Jin, a witness to the massacre
, imperialist forces tortured many Korean patriots in the basement of the Sinchon church at the beginning of the occupation, then buried the dead and near-dead bodies in a trench." The Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities
was established in 1958 and displays remains and belongings of those who are claimed to have been killed in the incident, and has been compared to the Holocaust Museum
in Washington, DC. Sharon Ayling of the Workers World newspaper writes that "There was well-documented evidence of 2,000 people pushed off the Sokdang Bridge, 1,000 women thrown into the Sowon Reservoir, 600 others found in the Pogu Reservoir, 1,200 stuffed in an icehouse and then burned to death. Over 900 people perished in an air-raid shelter when U.S. soldiers poured gasoline into the ventilation hole and ignited it."
's secret police, headed by Kim San Ju, were involved in the incident, and murdered any communist sympathizers. An article from North Korea Today mentions a "General Harrison" as the "main culprit of the Sinchon massacre.
There are claims that the North Korean government exaggerated the incident and asserted magnified death statistics as a propaganda
tool against the United States.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
of civilians, communist sympathizers and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n loyalists in the autumn of 1950, in or near the town of Sinchon
Sinchon
Sinchon or Sinchon-dong is a neighbourhood and a judicial dong in Seodaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea....
, during the outbreak of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Sinchon is currently located in South Hwanghae province, North Korea. North Korean sources claim that approximately 35,000 people were killed by American military forces and other supporters during the course of 52 days, which would have been about a quarter of the population of the county. Jack Willey of The Militant claimed that "Ri Song Jin, a witness to the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
, imperialist forces tortured many Korean patriots in the basement of the Sinchon church at the beginning of the occupation, then buried the dead and near-dead bodies in a trench." The Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities
Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities
The Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities is located in Sinchon, North Korea, and is dedicated to preserving and displaying artifacts from the alleged Sinchon Massacre, a supposed mass murder of North Korean civilians and communist sympathizers by the United States military during the Korean War...
was established in 1958 and displays remains and belongings of those who are claimed to have been killed in the incident, and has been compared to the Holocaust Museum
Holocaust museum
The term Holocaust museum may refer to:*Ani Ma'amin Holocaust Museum, Jerusalem*Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance*Florida Holocaust Museum*Holocaust Museum Houston*Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center...
in Washington, DC. Sharon Ayling of the Workers World newspaper writes that "There was well-documented evidence of 2,000 people pushed off the Sokdang Bridge, 1,000 women thrown into the Sowon Reservoir, 600 others found in the Pogu Reservoir, 1,200 stuffed in an icehouse and then burned to death. Over 900 people perished in an air-raid shelter when U.S. soldiers poured gasoline into the ventilation hole and ignited it."
Actuality of the incident
The incident has been wholly or partly denied by many, as to the extent of the North Korean description. One source claims that although American forces killed civilians in the area, a company of South Korean president Syngman RheeSyngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
's secret police, headed by Kim San Ju, were involved in the incident, and murdered any communist sympathizers. An article from North Korea Today mentions a "General Harrison" as the "main culprit of the Sinchon massacre.
There are claims that the North Korean government exaggerated the incident and asserted magnified death statistics as a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
tool against the United States.
See also
- List of massacres in North Korea
- Massacre in KoreaMassacre in KoreaMassacre in Korea is a 1951 expressionistic painting by Pablo Picasso which is seen as a criticism of American intervention in the Korean War. It depicts the 1950 Sinchon Massacre, an act of mass killing carried out by South Korean and/or American forces in the town of Sinchon located in South...
, a painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the Sinchon massacre