Bình Tai massacre
1966 purported killing of civilians by South Korean forces in South Vietnam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bình Tai Massacre was a massacre allegedly perpetrated by South Korean forces on 9 October 1966 of 29–168 civilians in Bình Tai village of Bình Định Province in South Vietnam.
| Bình Tai massacre | |
|---|---|
 Quảng Ngãi Province | |
| Location | Bình Tai village, South Vietnam |
| Date | October 9, 1966 |
| Target | Bình Tai villagers |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 29–168[1][2] |
| Perpetrators | South Korean Forces |
Investigation
The South Korean newspaper, The Hankyoreh, investigated war crimes in Vietnam and this massacre had first came to light from a testimony by an officer whom had overseen the killing.[2]: 534 [3][1] Colonel Kim Ki-tae, former commander of the Seventh Company, 2nd Marine Division, testified in The Hankyoreh on 9 October 1966 about the event.[2]: 529 Colonel Kim had reported he oversaw the murder of 29 men who were 'probably just farmers' alongside other civilians, and confirmed by the Hankyoreh's onsite investigation of events.[1][4] South Korean troops set fire to the villagers' homes and shot the villagers who fled the burning buildings. The raid had been ordered as a punitive action by the Division Headquarters as retaliation for the killing of a ROKA Infantry Soryeong (Major) and a ROK Marine Artillery Jungsa (First Sergeant) three days before by sniper fire.[2]: 530 The testimony by Colonel Kim had prompted other Korean veterans to testify about mass-killings.[1] The massacre was discussed by the People's Tribunal on War Crimes by South Korean Troops during the Vietnam War in 2018.
