South Korea resumes urgent search for executed Silmido agents' remains

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has urgently restarted excavation efforts at the Byeokje Cemetery in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to find the remains of agents executed following the 1971 Silmido incident. This renewed search is prompted by a recent tip from a local resident claiming knowledge of the burial site, although the details provided are partially uncertain.

Lee Seung-won, vice director of the Korea Maritime Cultural Research Institute, which is handling the excavation, stated on May 27 that a local resident provided information on May 22 pinpointing the burial location. This new information aligns with some existing testimonies documented in previous reports by the Ministry of National Defense and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Consequently, a three-day excavation began on May 27, involving seven researchers and five laborers.

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On May 22, following local resident interviews, a tipster emerged who claims to know the burial site of the Silmido agents executed for treason. We have decided to proceed with excavation for three days starting today after consulting with the Ministry of National Defense.

The previous excavation, conducted from May 18 to 22 in the same cemetery, failed to locate any remains. The team had then planned to move to a suspected burial site in Oru-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul. Both Byeokje and Oru-dong have been identified as the most likely burial locations based on investigations by the Ministry and the commission.

This marks the fifth attempt to locate the remains of the Silmido agents since the first excavation began in 2006. A 77-year-old local resident, who worked at the cemetery in the 1970s, recalled participating in the burial of four bodies around 5 PM one summer or autumn day. He remembers the bodies being covered and receiving 5,000 won for his involvement, and he heard they were from the Silmido incident. However, the exact timing of the execution and burial remains unclear, as the agents were reportedly executed in March, not later in the year as the witness suggested.

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One summer or autumn day in the 1970s, soldiers brought four bodies in a covered truck and I participated in their burial. I remember receiving 5,000 won for my work. I also heard they were from the Silmido escape.