The 2nd Term History Reconciliation Committee for Truth and Reconciliation announced that it had uncovered the truth about the case of the dark burial of the remains of an agent of the Silmido unit and the case of an unfair decision by the military court in 1980.



The burial of the remains of Silmido unit operatives occurred in March 1972, when the Air Force executed four Silmido unit operatives and buried their bodies arbitrarily.



The Central Intelligence Agency and the Air Force established the Silmido Unit in 1968 with the goal of infiltrating North Korea, and 22 operatives who received military training for more than three years escaped to Seoul in 1971 after killing Air Force agents.



In the process, 18 agents were killed and the four surviving were sentenced to death.



As a result of the investigation by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, the Air Force did not notify their families of the execution of the execution, even though the four men stated their family relationships and addresses during the investigation and trial.



Even after the execution, it was revealed that the body was buried in the dark without being delivered to the family.



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee pointed out, "This was an illegal act that violated the Military Criminal Act and the Enforcement Decree of the Military Criminal Act at the time, and a serious violation of human rights due to the illegal exercise of public power."



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee cited Byeokje-ri Cemetery at the Seoul Sublimation Center as the most likely place where the Air Force buried them. Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense recommended that the burial site investigation and excavation continue until the remains of the operatives are delivered to their families.



A soldier who was referred to a military court for evading an attack on the enemy while chasing North Korean armed spies who were fleeing after killing three South Korean soldiers in the GOP area in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do in October 1978 was convicted.



According to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, at that time, the Supreme Court reversed the case twice with the intention of not guilty, saying that the soldier responded by firing a rifle at the spy, and that it was not appropriate to hold the soldier responsible for the operational failure.



However, the lower court, the Higher Military Court, did not accept the decision and maintained the conviction, and the soldier was found guilty because he could not appeal again when martial law was declared on October 27, 1979.



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee judged, "The Army Higher Military Court made an unfair ruling, emphasizing only the 'soldier's mission', ignoring the statutes and Supreme Court precedents that stipulate the binding force of the Supreme Court's judgment."



It also pointed out, "The applicant not only failed to exercise his right to appeal due to the declared unconstitutional martial law, but his freedom of choice of profession was also infringed by being convicted of a dishonorable crime."



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee recommended that the state apologize to the victims and correct the illegal judgment through procedures such as an emergency appeal.



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee also investigated the truth about the preliminary arrest cases of the National Reporting Federation in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk and Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do.



Enlarging an image


In Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, from July to August 1950, 12 civilians were pre-arrested for collaborating with the left or joining the Press Federation, and mass sacrifices were made in the cobalt mine.



In Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province, 33 civilians were detained and killed at the Hampyeong Police Station for joining the Press Association.



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee said that the bereaved families of the two cases suffered from social stigma and the system of association, and recommended official apologies from the state and local governments and correction of the family relations register.



(Photo = Courtesy of the 2nd Truth Reconciliation Committee, Yonhap News)