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For the first time, the total number of Christians and Catholics affected by the massacre of civilians in various places as the North Korean army retreated during the Korean War was counted.

It was also confirmed that the churches that were victims of genocide chose forgiveness rather than retaliation.



Correspondent Lee Seong-hoon.



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This tower erected in front of Byeongchon Church in Seongdong-myeon, Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do is a monument to the martyrs.



It commemorates 66 people, including 16 members of this church and their families, who lost their lives to the North Korean military and Communist Party members on September 27 and 28, 1950 during the Korean War.



[Lee Seong-young / Pastor of Byeongchon Church: These people are people whose ideology cannot coexist with communist ideology.

The really heartbreaking thing was that there were 9 infants.]



According to the report of the Committee for Reconciliation for Truth and Reconciliation, the North Korean military realized the disadvantage of the charter immediately after the UN forces' landing in Incheon and told each region to "remove the reactionary forces and retreat". gave instructions.



In the following month, extensive massacres were carried out in Chungcheong and Honam areas.



As many as 77 people were killed at Yeomsan Church in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, and an 11-year-old child was killed when his parents threatened to tell him where he was.



The number of religious victims was 1,145, including 1,26 Christians and 119 Catholics.



[Park Myung-soo / Professor Emeritus of Seoul Theological University: Conflicts are already accumulating in the process of trying to communize the church.

Then, as there was an order to remove the reactionary forces during the withdrawal, such things happened all over the country at once...

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Despite this pain, religious people chose forgiveness rather than retaliation.



Cheorwon Jangheung Church stopped right-wing youths from trying to execute about 100 family members of communist party members left in the south, and Jeongeup Duam Church found the perpetrators who had sympathized with the massacre, forgave them, and lived a religious life together.



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Kim Jong-mi, VJ: Kim Jong-gap)