Peace Prize for Vietnamese Survivors

Peace Prize for Vietnamese Survivors by Curry 

On April 1, the third Jeju 4.3 Peace Prize was awarded to survivors of massacres by Korean soldiers in Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Thanh of H? My and Nguyen Thi Thanh of Phong Nh? Phong Nh?t. Both women (who happen to have the same name) have campaigned for recognition and apology by the Korean government. In April 2018 they testified at the People's Tribunal on War Crimes by South Korean Troops during the Vietnam War in Seoul, visited the Vietnam Pieta Statue in Gangjeong, and met with survivors of the Jeju 4.3 Massacre.  This year they returned to Korea for the 4.3 Peace Prize awards ceremony on April 1, then visited Gwangju and Seoul. On April 3, they joined the opening of Hankyoreh journalist Koh Kyoung Tae’s photo exhibition about the massacre in Phong Nh? Phong Nh?t at the Gwangju May 18 Memorial Foundation. On April 4, the two survivors delivered a petition signed by 103 survivors and family of victims calling on the Moon Jae In government to enact truth finding investigations and restore the honor of the victims. So far, the Korean government has not issued an official apology and despite clear evidence (including photos and reports by the US military) Korean veterans groups continue to deny responsibility for the massacres. 

Photo Caption: Nguyen Thi Thanh and Nguyen Thi Thanh pose at the 4.3 Peace Prize ceremony with their petition demanding accountability of the Korean government for war crimes in Vietnam. Photo by Jeju Sori.