South Korea Commemorates 76th Anniversary of Golryeonggol Massacre, Urges Peace Park Construction

Wild daisies, a flower often found blooming in disturbed earth, carpeted Golryeonggol as families and citizens gathered on June 27th to mark the 76th anniversary of a tragic massacre. The site, where an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 people were executed and buried shortly after the Korean War began in 1950, is known grimly as 'the world's longest grave' due to the interconnected burial pits stretching over a kilometer.

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The children of the victims have now become elderly with white hair, still keeping this vigil. The prolonged suffering has become a great destiny that weighs down our entire lives across generations.

This year's joint memorial service, held annually since 2000 by the Golryeonggol Massacre Victims' Families Association and the Daejeon Sanne Golryeonggol Countermeasures Committee, drew survivors, their descendants, local officials, and members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The victims, including prisoners from Daejeon Prison and civilians accused of leftist sympathies from the Daejeon and South Chungcheong regions, were rounded up and shot by South Korean military and police forces.

Jeon Mi-gyeong, president of the victims' families association, spoke emotionally about the enduring pain passed down through generations. "The children of the victims have now become elderly with white hair, still keeping this vigil," she said, her voice thick with tears. "The prolonged suffering has become a great destiny that weighs down our entire lives across generations." She expressed hope that the current Truth and Reconciliation Commission would provide comfort to the victims and their families and fully uncover the truth behind the massacre, restoring the honor of those who were unjustly killed.

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This place is one of the most tragic sites in our modern history. [...] We have much work to do. Excavated remains must be stably enshrined, the identities of more victims confirmed, and a space for commemoration created in a way that respects the wishes of the bereaved families.

Song Sang-gyu, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, acknowledged the site as one of modern Korean history's most tragic scenes. He stressed the importance of establishing a peace park, tentatively named 'Forest of Truth and Reconciliation,' at Golryeonggol. This project, delayed for a decade and facing rising costs, is more than just constructing facilities; it represents the state's responsibility to remember the truth of state violence, restore the dignity of the victims, and fulfill the long-held wishes of the bereaved families. With land compensation complete, elderly survivors are desperately hoping for the project's immediate commencement.

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The establishment of the Sanne Peace Park is more than just a facility construction project. It represents the state's responsibility to remember the truth of state violence, restore the dignity of the victims, and fulfill the long-held wishes of the bereaved families.