earticle

영어

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.