National compensation for victims after 74 years of 'Sancheong and Hamyang civilian massacre'

The bereaved families of civilian massacre victims carried out by the Armed Forces in Sancheong and Hamyang areas in South Gyeongsang Province during the Korean War were sentenced to state compensation for the first time in 74 years.

The Busan High Court's Civil Division 5 ruled in favor of the plaintiff to pay 1.82 billion won in damages filed by 15 bereaved families against the government.

Earlier, the first trial court ruled against the plaintiff on the grounds that the statute of limitations in the lawsuit was over, but the second trial court decided that the statute of limitations remained, citing the Supreme Court's judgment on the dismissal of the massacre of civilians in Geochang.

The massacre of civilians in Sancheong and Hamyang was caused by the ROK military's slaughter of 705 residents during the Korean War while communicating partisans with the People's Army hidden in Jirisan Mountain. So far, no state compensation or action has been taken, and the government has appealed against the ruling.