Seeking the Korean soldier who saved me

A South Korean lawyer is calling for accountability and truth regarding civilian massacres committed by Korean troops during the Vietnam War. In a recent visit to Vietnam, lawyers from the Lawyers for a Democratic Society's Vietnam War Truth-Finding Task Force met with survivors of the 1966 Ha My and Phuoc Binh massacres.

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I will not convey it through someone else. The president must come here and meet me. I will speak directly, face to face with his conscience and heart. Why do you not acknowledge this? I have lived like this for 60 years. Even if I turn 100, if I am alive, I want to tell the story. I cannot forget. Why did you kill innocent children like that?

Victims like Truong Thi Thu, who survived the Ha My massacre, expressed a deep desire to speak directly to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, questioning why the atrocities remain unacknowledged after 60 years. "I will not convey it through someone else. The president must come here and meet me," she stated, emphasizing her enduring pain and the need for recognition.

Survivors are also grappling with profound personal questions about their survival. Bo Thi Liem, a survivor of the Phuoc Binh massacre, recounted how a Korean soldier grabbed her by the hair when she was five years old. She escaped when the soldier's grip loosened, and now, as she ages, she wonders if that soldier intentionally let her go. She wishes to meet him if he is still alive to ask.

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Why did this tragedy have to happen to me? But I do not hate Korea. However, as time passes, I wonder how I was able to live through that tragedy, and whether a Korean soldier intentionally spared me. The Korean soldier grabbed me by the hair when I was a 5-year-old girl, but his grip loosened slightly, and at that moment, I ran away and survived. Even now, as I get older, I often recall that moment. I wonder if he intentionally saved me. If that soldier is still alive, I really want to meet him and ask.

Nguyen Thi Hong, another Ha My massacre survivor, wants to express gratitude to a Korean soldier who warned her brother of danger, helping him survive. She remembers his unit as the only one raising water buffaloes in the village and believes he would remember the incident. The lawyers plan to submit these requests to South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, urging it to directly engage with victims and investigate the possibility of soldiers' compassionate actions or intentional sparing of lives.

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There was a Korean soldier who came to my brother and warned him of danger, helping him survive. I really want to express my gratitude. Our house was the only one in the village raising water buffaloes. If that soldier is alive, he will surely remember.