SPOTLIGHT 24/06/12 S. Korean report accuses North of killing Christians during war

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S. Korean report accuses North of killing Christians during war

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said 54 Christians were murdered at Byeongchon church during the Korean War

People visit graves at the National Cemetery as South Korea marks Memorial Day, which honors those who died during the 1950-53 Korean War and in other operations while serving their country, in Seoul on June 6. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: June 12, 2024 11:39 AM GMT

Updated: June 12, 2024 12:12 PM GMT

An independent South Korean commission’s report has accused the communist North Korean army of killing dozens of Christians during the Korean War and has urged Seoul to seek follow-up measures to support the victims.

In a June 12 press release titled “Incidents of Religious Sacrifice by Hostile Forces Before and After the Korean War,” the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said that 54 Christians were murdered at Byeongchon church.

The people “were victimized because they were Christians or their family members, or because they attended the same church as right-wing figures,” the commission said in the statement published on its website.

The commission urged Seoul to seek an apology from Pyongyang on behalf of the victims and their family members and support “victim recovery and memorial projects and strengthen peace and human rights education.”

The killings took place from July to September 1950, with the greatest number of killings -- 51 out of 54 -- occurring on Sept. 28, 1950, the day of the North Korean army’s retreat from the South.

Among the 54 victims, 30 (55.6 percent) were women and 24 (44.4 percent) were men. Most of the victims were under the age of 19 (29 victims, 53.7 percent of the total victims).

The victims also included 16 seminarians which constituted 29.6 percent of the total victims.

The Byeongchon church massacre was the third case of victimization of prisoners of war based on their religious views. Previous cases investigated by the commission included the murder of Christians in Jeonbuk and Catholics in Chungcheong.

According to the commission, the perpetrators labeled three church members as right-wingers and dragged them away, tortured them, and killed them during the initial occupation in July 1950.

The remaining 54 victims were killed later during the retreat following the successful UN Command mission at the Battle of Incheon, the commission said, the Korea Times reported.

The Byeongchon Holiness Church was established in 1933 and was forced to shut down its operations 10 years later because of the persecution of Christians under Japan’s colonial rule (1910-45).

The church reopened in 1948, three years after Japan surrendered to the United States and other allied forces during World War II.

Earlier in April, the commission had found that 104 Christians were killed by North Korean soldiers at 24 churches in North Jeolla Province between July and November 1950, the Korea Times reported.

At least 1,700 Christians have lost their lives across South Korea because of religious persecution by North Korean soldiers and South Korean collaborators during the war, the commission said, the Korea Times reported.

Open Doors’ World Watch List listed North Korea as the “most dangerous place in the world for Christians,” in January this year.

The Open Doors report said Yemen (rank 4), Pakistan (7), Iran (9), Afghanistan (10), India (11), Syria (12), Saudi Arabia (13) and China (19) are among the top Asian countries for Christian persecution.