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A copy of the letter, dated July 25, 1950, used by a U.S. historian in his account of the Nogeun-ri massacre. (Yonhap News)
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Seoul asks Washington to confirm existence of account
A letter written by American ambassador John J. Muccio reveals that, during the Korean War, the U.S. military in South Korea adopted a policy of shooting refugees approaching its lines. The South Korean government has asked Washington to confirm the existence of the letter, which was publicized in an Associated Press (AP) article May 29. A government official said on May 31, "I recently asked the U.S. to identify whether the letter sent by former ambassador Muccio to the U.S. State Department really exists or not." The AP reported on May 29 that American historian Sahr Conway-Lanz discusses the former ambassador’s letter in his new book "Collateral Damage," which he wrote based on documents at the U.S. National Archives declassified in 1982.The Seoul official added, "The investigation into the Nogeun-ri incident under then-president Bill Clinton didn’t mention ambassador Muccio’s letter. We asked the U.S. government to confirm a few matters, including investigation into this letter." After president Clinton expressed regret about the Nogeun-ri massacre in 2001, the U.S. government proposed donating 4 million USD to set up a monument for the victims and to create a scholarship fund. The U.S. suggested a plan to use 1.19 million USD for the monument and 560,000 USD annually for five years for the scholarship fund. However, the Committee to Unveil the Truth about Nogeun-ri, a nongovernmental organization, declared that it would not accept the U.S. aid plan because the offer combined renumeration for Nogeun-ri with other incidents. Washington sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul saying that the time limit for acceptance of the budgeted money will expire September 30 this year. The Foreign Ministry reportedly informed the committee about the time constraints involved.
