» Excavation site at Gongju.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRCK) disclose an exhumation site at Gongju, where they have found more than 228 corpses who are believed to have been killed during the Korean War by South Korean soldiers and police.

An official of the investigation team said, “Most of them had their hands bound behind their back and had been forced to kneel when they were killed.” The official added, “Based on examinations of their teeth, we deduct that most of the bodies belong to men in their twenties.”

Members of the Association of Surviving Families in Gongju City said, “When the TRCK finishes exhuming the remains, we estimate the total number of victims will be in excess of 300.”

The TRCK had begun excavating the site based on a picture taken by a photographer from the U.K., and testimonies from surviving family members about the murder of 500 to 700 citizens suspected of being leftists.

Photo courtesy of Yonhap News Agency