This paper explores the modes of remembering a forgotten historical event in which, without any battle taking place, 705 civilians were massacred in Sancheong and Hamyang counties by the 3rd Battalion, 9th Regiment, 11th Division on February 7, 1951. This incident remained buried in history until 1989, when the Association of Bereaved Families of Civilian Massacres was established.
Following the massacre, the government and military denied and concealed the incident. However, they began to accept registrations from bereaved families in June 1996 and, in October 2004, built the Sancheong-Hamyang Incident Memorial Park near the massacre site in Banggok Village. The government now regards its annual memorial services in early November as fulfilling its responsibilities.
Thus, the memorial park serves as a form of absolution for the state, a historical site for the community, and, though insufficient, a symbol of healing for the victims. Furthermore, the local government officials, rather than the bereaved families, preside over the annual memorial and remembrance ceremonies. This represents South Korea's approach to acknowledging the civilian massacres carried out by the state and military.
The survivors, who lived through the massacre despite being shot, and the bereaved families retain vivid memories of the massacre as though “photographs were imprinted in their minds” or “like looking into a mirror,” thus reliving the past in their present lives. The survivors and bereaved families, burdened by trauma and the government’s denial and concealment, hold onto the hope of compensation and reparation from the state.
For a long time, the government dismissed the massacre under the ideological veil of “anti-communism,” but for the survivors, and bereaved families, the massacre remains an “ancient present,” impossible to forget. Even now, they strive in their own ways to restore their honor.
동북아시아문화학회 [The Association of North-east Asian Cultures]
설립연도
2000
분야
복합학>학제간연구
소개
동북아시아 문화의 다양성과 정체성을 연구 토론하고, 지역내 문화 교류의 다양한 모습을 연구하고 문화변동의 큰 틀을 집적함으로써 우리 민족 문화 및 상대 민족의 문화적 터전을 이해하여 문화공동체적 특성을 계발하고 상호 관련성의 강화를 유도하는 학술활동을 통해 동북아시아의 문화발전에 이바지함.