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TO stifle our Republic at its birth and realise the wild ambition of world hegemony, the US ignited the Korean War — the most brutal and destructive war that burned the entire Korean peninsula into ashes and massacred innocent civilians.
At dawn of June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out.
Since the first day of the war, the US imperialists launched unprecedentedly brutal and indiscriminate bombing raids on Pyongyang, urban and rural areas and fishing villages in the northern half of the Republic by mobilising “B-29” and various kinds of warplanes and warships.
During the whole period of the war, the Air Corps of the US Air Force flew 800 000 sorties, and the US Marine Corps and the Air Corps of the US Air Force flew more than 250 000 sorties in the skies of the northern half of the Republic.
And they dropped almost 600 000 tonnes of bombs, which amounted to 3, 7 times of the bombs dropped on the Japanese land during the Pacific War.
This was indeed an indiscriminate bombing.
They dropped bombs, which were equivalent to an average of 18 bombs on one square kilometre.
In Pyongyang City, the US completely destroyed the factories, enterprises, educational, medical and service facilities as well as houses by dropping more than 428 000 bombs in more than 1, 400 sorties.
Especially, on July 11 and 12, 1952, about 400 planes of the US Force dropped 6 000-odd napalm and time bombs, killing more than 8,000 women, the elderly and children.
Every excellent heritage of national culture, which our people had created throughout the thousands-year-long history was also wrecked.
Among them are Yongmyong Temple and Pubyok Pavilion in Pyongyang city, Tongmyong Pavilion in Songchon, Jangan Pavilion and Phyohun Temple on Mt Kumgang.
From January to June, 1951, many cultural facilities like Moranbong theatre, Pyongyang national theatre in Pyongyang city, Hamhung cinema and Wonsan city library were devastated.
From January to November, 1952, more than 200 school buildings were reduced to ashes.
On November 8, 1950, more than 100 US bombers appeared in the sky over Sinuiju and frantically poured down bombs, resulting in about 8 900 houses being destroyed with over 9 000 citizens killed and 3 155 injured.
And they conducted ceaseless bombings in northern half of the Republic including Hungnam, Nampho and Ranam as well as the liberated regions in the southern half.
Besides, the US aggressors dispatched many warships to the East and West Sea of Korea and bombarded from these ships every day.
In this way, they massacred innocent people in the coastal cities and regions including Wonsan, Chongjin and Haeju.
The peaceful cities, many power stations and reservoirs such as Suphung power station, Jangjingang power station, Taebongsan reservoir were destroyed by barbarous bombing and shelling by the US imperialists.
This also resulted in destruction of most of the main industrial facilities in Nampho, Wonsan and North and South Hamgyong province.
Brutal bombing and shelling committed by the US imperialists against peaceful cities, rural areas and residents constitute flagrant violations of universally recognised war law including the “Convention on Bombing by Naval Force in Time of War” and “Regulation on Air Combat”.
During the Korean War, the US wantonly violated international laws such as the “Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of August 12, 1949” and committed war crimes of indiscriminately massacring innocent people by using most brutal methods in human history.
When the US imperialists temporarily occupied some areas of the northern half of the Republic, they brutally killed innocent people from all walks of life including officials of Party, power organs and working people’s organisations, workers, farmers, officers, youth and even men of religion, regardless of their gender or age, using the most cold-blooded methods beyond human imagination.
The methods included burying people alive, burning to death, drowning in rivers and seas, cutting in pieces to death with a straw cutter, skinning to death, dismembering to death to name a few.
Lots of innocent inhabitants were mercilessly killed by all sorts of cruel methods.
Over 15 000 inhabitants were killed in Pyongyang, over 35 000 in Sinchon, 19 072 in Anak, over 13 000 in Unryul, over 6 000 in Haeju, 5 998 in Pyoksong, 5 545 in Songhwa, 5 131 in Unchon, over 5 000 in Anju, 3 429 in Taetan, 2 450 in Yonan, over 1 400 in Jaeryong, 1 199 in Jangyon, over 5 290 in Pyongsan, 1 385 in Tosan, 1 293 in Pongsan, over 1 000 in Songrim, 1 342 in Kaechon, over 1 200 in Sunchon, over 1 400 in Pakchon and over 1 560 in Cholwon.
Besides, the US imperialists slaughtered more than 4 000 people at the temporary Taedong bridge (the present Taedonggang bridge) and on the ice of the River Taedong and over 30 000 people on Sariwon-Haeju road while forcibly taking them to the south threatening them with atomic bombs.
Likewise, the massacre committed by the US against peaceful residents during the Korean War surpassed the most barbarous and brutal atrocities committed by Hitler’s fascists during the World War II, which all went beyond the imagination of human.
In regard to the atrocities committed by the US in the northern half of the Republic in 1951, an investigation team of the Women’s International Democratic Federation condemned that “the massacres and tortures the US troops committed in the areas they temporarily occupied are even more vicious than those committed by Hitler Nazis in Europe”.
A French newspaper at that time also exposed the crimes committed by the US in Korea, saying that “the most outrageous crime of the 20th century was committed by the US in Korea.”
Moreover, in less than one-year period since the outbreak of war, the US imperialists slaughtered more than 1 million innocent civilians in south Korea.
For instance, when the US imperialists landed in Inchon on September 16, 1950, they shot to death over 1, 300 inhabitants during one day alone.
In Seoul, they arrested, imprisoned and killed more than 75 000 citizens.
And when they took to flight for the second time, they dealt with all the suspected summarily.
At that time, as many as 72 390 peaceful inhabitants were tortured and massacred.
Immeasurable are the anti-humanity crimes committed by the US against Korean nation during the Korean war and in the past.
The US — the chief criminal who should sit in the dock of war crimes, human rights crimes — professes itself to be “human rights judge”, talking about the “human rights” of the others.
This is really an intolerable insult to the justice and conscience.
There is no statute of limitations for the unprecedented anti-humanity crimes committed by the US during the Korean War.
We will surely make the US, our sworn enemy, pay for the blood shed by Korean people. — Korean Democratic Lawyers’ Association
Online Reporter