More Allegations of Korean War Civilian Deaths

South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigating more than 200 No Gun Ri-type events, in which US forces allegedly killed South Korean civilians, has called on the South Korean government to press the US for compensation. (Following the No Gun Ri revelation in 1999 and 2000, President Clinton issued a statement of regret, but he did not say the civilian deaths were intentional based on US fears of North Korean infiltrators early in the war.) The latest allegations, reports Associated Press, involved US pilots and what the commission termed “indiscriminate” attacks, based on now-declassified records. Another AP report quotes two USAF pilots of the era, saying it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. One of the pilots said the US pilots were ordered to “strafe refugees” in the early days of the war. According to AP, the US Embassy in Seoul has not received a formal request for compensation.