75 Years of Silence:
The Continuing Need for Acknowledgment, Accountability, and Reconciliation between the United States and the Korean People
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In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, South Korean authorities massacred and "disappeared" thousands of civilians to eradicate left-wing or communist political thought. In some instances, U.S. forces tacitly approved and oversaw these massacres; in others, U.S. forces directly perpetrated them. Almost without exception, the massacres were indiscriminate, lawless, and exceptionally cruel. These atrocities were not investigated or even discussed during decades of authoritarian rule, when speaking publicly about such issues would have been very dangerous. Only recently has a quiet discussion of these events begun to emerge, at a time when many in Korea prefer to look blindly to the future without fully understanding the past.
Role of the University Network:
Wesleyan students traveled to South Korea in January and March 2023, splitting their time between Seoul, Daejeon, Sejong, Asan, and Jeju-do. Students interviewed activists, local historians, survivors, and family members of those killed. These survivors’ stories remain largely untold. The focus of this work is restorative and transitional justice nearly 70 years after the end of active hostilities in the Korean War.
This project has been carried out in partnership with the Law Clinics at Seoul National University School of Law and the 4.3 Jeju Peace Foundation. It has sought to help the survivors and their families reclaim their long-silenced voices. It has attempted to do so in the shadow of a fact finding report on transitional justice due to be released in September 2023 by the UN Special Rapporteur on Truth, Justice, and Reparation, following his 2022 country visit to South Korea. The project has made use of this advocacy moment to highlight not just the need for additional transitional Justice measures to take place on the Korean Peninsula, but also the essential and direct role that the US and other international allies played in the perpetration of these crimes.
