한국전쟁 전 대구경북지역의 민간인학살사건의 실태와 특징 - 제4대국회「양민학살사건진상조사보고서」의 기록을 중심으로 -

Abstract

When the Daegu October Uprising of 1946 erupted, the U.S. military government in Korea responded with suppression, which led to the rise of partisan guerrillas. As the police and army subdued the guerrillas, the situation deteriorated to the point that it resembled a regional civil war. During this process, not only ex-prisoners from the Daegu October Uprising, but also communist sympathizers, their families, and innocent local residents were executed by the South Korean police and army without trials. According to reports from the 4th National Assembly, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and other sources, around 15,000 civilians were massacred by the police and army in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region during 1945-1953. The 4th National Assembly Report contains statements regarding 5,082 victims. Among them, 1,665 victims were massacred before the Korean War. Most of them were residents of the eastern Gyeongbuk region near the area of the Taebaek Mountains, and were massacred at 1949 - when the police and army launched full scale search and destroy operations. Although a majority of the victims were males in their 20s and 30s, the ratio of victims who were female, elderly, and children was higher than that of the Korean War. Before the Korean War, major massacres occurred in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, as well as in Neung Valley in Wolseong, Naenam Township in Wolseong, Mountain in Jogok Yeongchon, Buchae Valley in Dalseong, Byerang Valley in Chilgok, Wonjeon Valley in Yeongdeok, and Seokdal Village in Mungyeong. These were typical examples of civilian massacre incidents with the number of victims varying from twenty to eighty.