The No Gun Ri Massacre was a War crime committed during the Korean War in July 1950 by US soldiers in Nogeun-ri (No Gun Ri), during which an unknown number of South Korean civilians were Murdered.
Massacre edit
On 25th July 1950, North Korean troops captured the town of Yongdong, prompting the US military to evacuate the inhabitants of nearby villages to No Gun Ri. However, as the South Korean refugees were marched to No Gun Ri, seven of them strayed from the group and were shot dead by soldiers, hinting at things to come.
On 26th July, the soldiers unexpectedly withdrew, leaving the refugees alone. The refugees then continued on to No Gun Ri, where they were stopped and detained by a US roadblock by the 7th Cavalry Division. The soldiers searched them and left them on a disused railroad, before alerting their superiors. Soon after, the refugees were strafed by the US air force, killing many of them. As the refugees attempted to take cover, the soldiers stepped out and began executing those wounded in the bombing. The survivors attempted to take cover under a nearby railway culvert, but were fired at and driven into a double tunnel beneath a concrete railroad bridge, where they were trapped after the soldiers encircled the tunnel. The Cavalry Division then opened fire with rifles and machine guns, causing further deaths.
The following day, the few surviving refugees continued to be trapped in the tunnel, as although the soldiers were no longer slaughtering them, they continued to shoot at those who tried to leave. The air force also continued to occasionally fire at the refugees. However, during the killings by the 7th Cavalry Division, the 2nd Battalion had been attacked by the North Korean Army, who defeated them and had almost reached No Gun Ri by this point. As a result, the 7th Cavalry Division was forced to withdraw, ending the massacre. The survivors, about 24 refugees, were subsequently found by the North Koreans, who fed them and returned them to their villages.