Jeamni massacre
1919 massacre of Koreans by Japan
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The Jeamni Massacre (Korean: 제암리 학살 사건; lit. 'Jeamni Massacre Incident') was a mass murder of 20 to 30 unarmed Korean civilians by the Imperial Japanese Army on April 15, 1919, in Jeamni, Suwon, Korea, Empire of Japan.
Teigan, Suigen, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
(now Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea)
| Jeamni Massacre | |
|---|---|
Aftermath of the massacre in Jeamni, photographed by Schofield | |
| Location | 37°7′34″N 126°53′37″E Teigan, Suigen, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea) |
| Date | April 15, 1919 |
| Target | Korean residents of Jeamni |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 20 to 30 |
| Perpetrator | Imperial Japanese Army |
History
During the event, Japanese soldiers brought 20 to 30[1] Koreans they suspected were linked to the March First Movement protests into a church for a meeting. They then opened fire on the civilians, and burned down the church to destroy the bodies and evidence of the incident.[1][2][3] They also set fire to nearby civilian homes.[3] Despite the cover-up efforts, Canadian doctor Frank Schofield heard news of the event and immediately visited the scene. Schofield then wrote a report titled "The Massacre of Chai-Amm-Ni" and published it in The Shanghai Gazette on May 27, 1919.[4][5]
Japanese cover-up
The Japanese lieutenant responsible was disciplined, but a group of senior officers decided to attribute the incident to resistance by local people.[6]
In his diary, Japanese commander Taro Utsunomiya wrote that the incident would hurt the reputation of the Japanese Empire and acknowledged that the Japanese soldiers committed murder and arson.[2] Utsunomiya's diary revealed that Japanese colonial authorities met and decided to cover up the incident.[6]
Aftermath
In 2019, a group of 17 Japanese Christians visited the site of the massacre and apologized for the incident on behalf of Japan.[7]