Court says South Korea responsible for Vietnam War massacre

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has ordered the government to pay $24,000 to a Vietnamese woman who survived a gunshot wound but lost several relatives when South Korean marines rampaged through her village during the Vietnam War in 1968. The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the government’s argument that it was unclear whether South Korean troops were responsible for the slaughter in the village of Phong Nhi. The court also rejected the government’s argument that civilian killings were unavoidable as the Korean troops were dealing with Viet Cong guerrillas who often blended with locals. It’s the first time a South Korean court found the country’s government responsible for mass killings of Vietnamese civilians during the war. The 62-year-old survivor says she’s “overjoyed.”