Vietnam massacre survivors and bereaved family ask TRC for investigation
Minbyun Vietnam Task Force attorneys and Korea Vietnam Peace Foundation Activists deliver applications to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg
When South Korean troops indiscriminately opened fire in their villages during the Vietnam War, some children lost their entire families. Others survived with scars, missing limbs and psychological trauma that has lasted a lifetime. Today, surviving victims hope Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will help establish the truth about what happened and provide the recognition they have long sought.
Members of the Minbyun (Lawyers for a Democratic Society) Vietnam Task Force, accompanied by activists from the Korea Vietnam Peace Foundation, filed applications for truth-finding at the TRC office in central Seoul Thursday on behalf of nine Vietnamese citizens.
The applicants, who reside in Vietnam, comprise eight survivors and one bereaved family member of victims of two civilian massacres allegedly committed by South Korean troops during their participation in the Vietnam War. Earlier this year, the Vietnam War Task Force visited the two villages to identify and interview potential applicants.
Seven of the applications — those of survivors Truong Thi Thu, 88, Nguyen Thi Hong, 72, Nguyen Thi Thanh, 69, Nguyen Thi Bon, 64, Dang Thi Ca, 61, Bui Thi Mai, 59, and bereaved family member Nguyen Lap, 75 — relate to the 1968 Ha My massacre of 135 people in Da Nang province, today a popular destination for Korean tourists. The other two applications were filed by Pham Thi Phuong, 78, and Vo Thi Liem, 65, survivors of a massacre in Phuoc Binh, Quang Ngai province, which resulted in the deaths of 73 villagers on Nov. 9, 1966.
Photos of the nine survivors and bereaved families who have filed applications with Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) are displayed at the TRC office in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg
During the TRC's second commission, which concluded late last year, five petitioners from Ha My saw their cases dismissed on the grounds that they were foreign nationals and that the alleged incidents occurred outside Korea. Three have reapplied, while the remaining two are not participating again because of deteriorating health.
The dismissal was disputed through an administrative lawsuit and is now awaiting a final ruling from the Supreme Court. In April, the case was referred to the court's full bench after the lower courts held that the TRC's rejection of the applications was lawful. The Seoul High Court acknowledged the necessity of a state-level investigation that it reckoned should be initiated by the National Assembly rather than through judicial interpretation.
The TRC was reconstituted for its third term in February this year under an amended Framework Act for the Settlement of Past Affairs for Truth and Reconciliation. Yet the legislation was not amended to explicitly permit or prohibit the consideration of cases involving foreign victims of human rights violations committed abroad under the public authority of the Korean government.
The TRC, under its new leadership, has adopted a more conciliatory stance, and several commissioners have expressed personal views that the previous dismissal was inappropriate. In a supplementary brief submitted to the court in early July, which The Korea Times reviewed, the TRC sympathized with the necessity of a state-level investigation into the Ha My massacre and the difficulties of independently securing sufficient evidence for state compensation lawsuits.
The commission indicated that it will give consideration to support measures within the scope of current laws, while actively pursuing a legislative solution. It invited the victims to reapply with substantial supporting evidence, noting that a legal basis for investigation may become reality during its current term. At the same time, the TRC acknowledged that this would take time, and that for the elderly victims, "justice delayed is justice denied."
A bill was introduced in October 2025 to investigate human rights violations by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces between 1964 and 1973, during the country's participation in the Vietnam War, but it remains stalled in committee. Its primary sponsor was current Jeonnam-Gwangju Mayor Min Hyeong-bae before he resigned from the National Assembly. Backed by 30 co-sponsors, the bill remains active, with Rep. Park Seon-won now leading efforts to advance it through the National Defense Committee.
The bill envisions a separate truth commission for the Vietnam War with a mandate extending beyond civilian massacres. It would also investigate the experiences of deployed soldiers, including internal military violence, unfair treatment and the long-term suffering associated with war trauma. Another amendment to the Framework Act would be more expedient and cost-effective.
Obstacles to investigation remain
While amending the Framework Act would be more expedient, budget and workforce constraints present another challenge. The commission received 4,716 applications within its first 100 days, and just over 2,100 cases were opened for investigation this month alone.
With additional funds already allocated to a new bureau for overseas adoption and social welfare institutions such as Brothers Home, the commission will inevitably face difficult decisions about how to prioritize its limited resources. Both previous commissions were unable to resolve their entire caseloads before the end of their terms.
Academics and civic groups have filled many of the knowledge gaps surrounding the massacres in Vietnam. A 2018 survey conducted by the Korea Vietnam Peace Foundation found South Korean forces committed massacres in approximately 130 villages between 1964 and 1972, resulting in an estimated 10,000 deaths. Attorney Im Jae-seong noted that, despite the scale of the atrocities, only two villages (Ha My and Phong Nhi) have been the subject of legal proceedings in Korea so far. He attributed this to the limited capacity of Korean civil society and the fact that only in those cases, along with Phuoc Binh, has significant evidence been accumulated to corroborate victims' testimony.
Previous findings and evidence would still have to be verified independently by the commission. Such an investigation would require Vietnamese language expertise and could necessitate interviews in Vietnam, as well as cooperation from the Vietnamese authorities for things such as obtaining documentary evidence. Although the TRC has previously engaged with foreign governments during investigations involving Korean overseas adoptees, it has never conducted an inquiry of this nature overseas.
Im said the Vietnamese government has not prevented victims from pursuing legal claims or other legal remedies in Korea, although it has not sought to press the South Korean government at the state level to establish the truth or provide compensation. He does not believe that Vietnam is likely to actively obstruct the TRC from opening an investigation.
Further obstacles include opposition within Seoul's defense ministry and ambivalence within the foreign ministry, despite the TRC's status as an independent body. The Ministry of National Defense, in particular, has a history of refusing to disclose sensitive records related to the Vietnam War. A response from the ministry to a petition last year submitted by two victims to the presidential office is expected this month.
Attorney Hwang Ho-jun holds photos of Nguyen Thi Hong and Vo Thi Liem at the office of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Jack Greenberg
After the TRC applications were submitted, attorney Hwang Ho-jun said the victims hold differing views on what a truth investigation would mean to them. Some, he said, seek acknowledgment and an apology, while others, such as Truong Thi Thu, hope for the opportunity to tell their stories directly to the Korean president. Still others say any resentment they once felt toward Koreans has long since passed.
One applicant, Nguyen Thi Hong, said that although "the memories of the massacre are still horrific and painful, I want to find the South Korean soldier who helped my brother survive and express my sincere gratitude."
Ultimately, the victims' varied hopes reveal that truth-finding is not solely about confronting the past, but also about opening avenues for healing in the present.