Bodo League massacre
The Bodo League massacre (Korean: 보도연맹 학살; Hanja: 保導聯盟虐殺) was a massacre and a war crime against communists and alleged communist-sympathizers (many of whom were civilians who had no connection to communism or communists) that occurred in the summer of 1950 during the Korean War. Estimates of the death toll vary. Historians and experts on the Korean War estimate that between 60,000 and 200,000 people were killed.
| Bodo League massacre | |
|---|---|
Summary execution of South Korean political prisoners by the South Korean military and police at Daejeon, South Korea | |
| Location | South Korea |
| Date | Summer of 1950 |
| Target | Communists and alleged communist sympathizers |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 60,000 to 200,000 |
| Perpetrators | South Korean police, military, and anti-communists on direct orders from President Syngman Rhee |
| Motive | Anti-communism; fear of North Korean fifth column |
The massacre was committed by the government forces of president Syngman Rhee and falsely blamed on the communists led by North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. The South Korean government made efforts to conceal the massacre for four decades. Survivors were forbidden by the government from revealing it, under threat of being treated as communist sympathizers; public revelation carried with it the threat of torture and death. During the 1990s and onwards, several corpses were excavated from mass graves, resulting in public awareness of the massacre. Half a century after the massacre, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated this among other incidents that were largely kept hidden from history, unlike the well-publicized North Korean executions of South Korean right-wingers.