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'''No Gun Ri''' is a village in central [[South Korea]]. It was the site of an incident during the [[Korean War]] in which U.S. soldiers shot and killed an undetermined number of Korean refugees.
In July 26-29, 1950, soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Regiment fired warning shots at a group of refugees trying to cross the military line. The refugees were fleeing before the advancing North Korean forces. The soldiers feared that North Koreans in disguise might be among the refugees. The incident gained international attention as a result of a report by Charles Hanley published by the [[Associated Press]] in September 1999.<ref>Choe, Sang-hun, and Charles Hanley, ''[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19990930/aponline065913_000.htm Ex-GIs Tell AP of Korea Killings]'', Sept. 30, 1999.</ref> This story quoted nine U.S. soldiers, including Ed Daily, who claimed that he machine gunned refugees and could, "still hear their cries, the little kids screaming."<ref name="Bateman137">Bateman, Robert L., ''[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JIW/is_/ai_110458742 No Gun Ri: a Military History of the Korean War Incident]'', pp. 137.</ref> The AP won the Pulitzer Prize for this story in 2000. U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] issued a statement of regret in January 2001.<ref name="Clinton> Clinton, Bill, "[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_watch/jan-june01/clinton_1-11.html No Gun Ri: Clinton's Statement]", January 11, 2001.</ref>
Daily, as well as three other U.S. soldiers quoted by the AP, were later exposed as frauds who were never even present at No Gun Ri.<ref name="Bateman135">Bateman, pp. 134-35.</ref> The AP's claim that up to 400 refugees were killed simply repeats propaganda originally published in a North Korean newspaper.<ref name="ROKDrop_controversy">{{cite web
| url = http://rokdrop.com/2007/01/16/controversies-of-the-korean-war-the-tragedy-at-no-gun-ri-part-2/
| title = Controversies of the Korean War: The Tragedy at No Gun-ri - Part #2
| accessdate = 2007-04-14
| author = GI Korea
| date = [[2007-01-14]]
| work = ROK DROP Blog
}}</ref> In 2001, the U.S. military responded to the AP account with a report that included a high resolution aerial photograph taken on August 6, 1950.<ref name="US">{{cite web
| author = U.S. Department of Army Inspector General
| title = Report of the No Gun Ri Review
| year = 2001
| url = http://www.army.mil/nogunri/
| accessdate = 2006-07-15
}}</ref> There is no indication of bodies or of a mass grave in the photo, debunking the North Korean claim that hundreds of bodies were left lying around after the incident.<ref name="US">{{cite web
| url = http://rokdrop.com/2007/03/22/no-gun-ri-misreporting-continues/
| title = No Gun Ri misreporting continues
| accessdate = 2007-04-14
| author = GI Korea
| date = [[2007-03-22]]
| work = ROK Drop Blog}}
</ref>
Major Robert Bateman, a U.S. infantry officer whose book on No Gun Ri was published in 2002, estimated that between eight and thirty-five Korean refugees were killed.<ref name="Bateman120">Bateman, p. 120.</ref> Although the AP story claimed that the refugees were unarmed, Bateman found U.S. Army records indicating that a rifle and a submachine gun were retrieved in the area.<ref name="Bateman120"/> Bateman also argues that the stories Daily told at veteran's meetings contaminated the memories of authentic witnesses.<ref name="Greer"/> Some veterans even insisted that they remembered Daily at No Gun Ri, although Daily has since confessed he was never there.<ref name="Greer" /> Bateman's book won the Colby Award in 2004.
Hanley responded that the bodies might not have been visible if they were placed under a bridge and covered with dirt.<ref name="Greer">Greer, Judith, "[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/feature/2002/06/03/nogunri/index.html What really happened at No Gun Ri?]", ''Salon'', June 3, 2002</ref> However, the aerial photo shows no major ground dislocation, so there is no obvious place where the dirt needed could have come from.<ref name="Greer" /> Although the site was carefully excavated by a South Korean archeologist in 2007, no human remains have ever been found.<ref>'[http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2007/08/22/0200000000AEN20070822002500315.HTML Search for remains of Nogeun-ri massacre likely to end with no remains found}" Yonhap, Aug. 22, 2007.</ref>
In 2007, the South Korean government announced that it would build a $20 million "No Gun Ri History Park" in the village by 2009.<ref>[http://www.popularq.net/articles/World-News/General/SKorea-to-Build-No-Gun-Ri-Park-Memorial/ SKorea to Build No Gun Ri Park Memorial]"</ref>
==See also==
[[Korean War]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book | author=Bateman, Robert| title= No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident | publisher=Stackpole Books| year=2002 | id=ISBN 0-8117-1763-1}}
*{{cite book | author=Hanley, Charles J.; Choe, Sang-Hun; Mendoza, Martha| title= The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War| publisher=Henry Holt & Company| year=2001 | id=ISBN 0-8050-6658-6 |url=http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-No-Gun-Ri-Nightmare/dp/product-description/0805071830}}
*{{cite web | title =Report of the No Gun Ri Review | work =U.S. Department of Army Inspector General, January 2001 | url =http://www.army.mil/nogunri/ | accessdate=2006-07-15}}
*''[http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/nogunri.htm No Gun Ri]'' Both the original AP story and a rebuttal.
*Greer, Judith, "[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/feature/2002/06/03/nogunri/index.html What really happened at No Gun Ri?]", ''Salon'', Jun 3, 2002.
*"[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/nogunri/ No Gun Ri: A Media Watch Special Report]", ''Online NewsHour'', PBS.
In July 26-29, 1950, soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Regiment fired warning shots at a group of refugees trying to cross the military line. The refugees were fleeing before the advancing North Korean forces. The soldiers feared that North Koreans in disguise might be among the refugees. The incident gained international attention as a result of a report by Charles Hanley published by the [[Associated Press]] in September 1999.<ref>Choe, Sang-hun, and Charles Hanley, ''[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19990930/aponline065913_000.htm Ex-GIs Tell AP of Korea Killings]'', Sept. 30, 1999.</ref> This story quoted nine U.S. soldiers, including Ed Daily, who claimed that he machine gunned refugees and could, "still hear their cries, the little kids screaming."<ref name="Bateman137">Bateman, Robert L., ''[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JIW/is_/ai_110458742 No Gun Ri: a Military History of the Korean War Incident]'', pp. 137.</ref> The AP won the Pulitzer Prize for this story in 2000. U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] issued a statement of regret in January 2001.<ref name="Clinton> Clinton, Bill, "[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_watch/jan-june01/clinton_1-11.html No Gun Ri: Clinton's Statement]", January 11, 2001.</ref>
Daily, as well as three other U.S. soldiers quoted by the AP, were later exposed as frauds who were never even present at No Gun Ri.<ref name="Bateman135">Bateman, pp. 134-35.</ref> The AP's claim that up to 400 refugees were killed simply repeats propaganda originally published in a North Korean newspaper.<ref name="ROKDrop_controversy">{{cite web
| url = http://rokdrop.com/2007/01/16/controversies-of-the-korean-war-the-tragedy-at-no-gun-ri-part-2/
| title = Controversies of the Korean War: The Tragedy at No Gun-ri - Part #2
| accessdate = 2007-04-14
| author = GI Korea
| date = [[2007-01-14]]
| work = ROK DROP Blog
}}</ref> In 2001, the U.S. military responded to the AP account with a report that included a high resolution aerial photograph taken on August 6, 1950.<ref name="US">{{cite web
| author = U.S. Department of Army Inspector General
| title = Report of the No Gun Ri Review
| year = 2001
| url = http://www.army.mil/nogunri/
| accessdate = 2006-07-15
}}</ref> There is no indication of bodies or of a mass grave in the photo, debunking the North Korean claim that hundreds of bodies were left lying around after the incident.<ref name="US">{{cite web
| url = http://rokdrop.com/2007/03/22/no-gun-ri-misreporting-continues/
| title = No Gun Ri misreporting continues
| accessdate = 2007-04-14
| author = GI Korea
| date = [[2007-03-22]]
| work = ROK Drop Blog}}
</ref>
Major Robert Bateman, a U.S. infantry officer whose book on No Gun Ri was published in 2002, estimated that between eight and thirty-five Korean refugees were killed.<ref name="Bateman120">Bateman, p. 120.</ref> Although the AP story claimed that the refugees were unarmed, Bateman found U.S. Army records indicating that a rifle and a submachine gun were retrieved in the area.<ref name="Bateman120"/> Bateman also argues that the stories Daily told at veteran's meetings contaminated the memories of authentic witnesses.<ref name="Greer"/> Some veterans even insisted that they remembered Daily at No Gun Ri, although Daily has since confessed he was never there.<ref name="Greer" /> Bateman's book won the Colby Award in 2004.
Hanley responded that the bodies might not have been visible if they were placed under a bridge and covered with dirt.<ref name="Greer">Greer, Judith, "[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/feature/2002/06/03/nogunri/index.html What really happened at No Gun Ri?]", ''Salon'', June 3, 2002</ref> However, the aerial photo shows no major ground dislocation, so there is no obvious place where the dirt needed could have come from.<ref name="Greer" /> Although the site was carefully excavated by a South Korean archeologist in 2007, no human remains have ever been found.<ref>'[http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2007/08/22/0200000000AEN20070822002500315.HTML Search for remains of Nogeun-ri massacre likely to end with no remains found}" Yonhap, Aug. 22, 2007.</ref>
In 2007, the South Korean government announced that it would build a $20 million "No Gun Ri History Park" in the village by 2009.<ref>[http://www.popularq.net/articles/World-News/General/SKorea-to-Build-No-Gun-Ri-Park-Memorial/ SKorea to Build No Gun Ri Park Memorial]"</ref>
==See also==
[[Korean War]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book | author=Bateman, Robert| title= No Gun Ri: A Military History of the Korean War Incident | publisher=Stackpole Books| year=2002 | id=ISBN 0-8117-1763-1}}
*{{cite book | author=Hanley, Charles J.; Choe, Sang-Hun; Mendoza, Martha| title= The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War| publisher=Henry Holt & Company| year=2001 | id=ISBN 0-8050-6658-6 |url=http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-No-Gun-Ri-Nightmare/dp/product-description/0805071830}}
*{{cite web | title =Report of the No Gun Ri Review | work =U.S. Department of Army Inspector General, January 2001 | url =http://www.army.mil/nogunri/ | accessdate=2006-07-15}}
*''[http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/nogunri.htm No Gun Ri]'' Both the original AP story and a rebuttal.
*Greer, Judith, "[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/feature/2002/06/03/nogunri/index.html What really happened at No Gun Ri?]", ''Salon'', Jun 3, 2002.
*"[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/nogunri/ No Gun Ri: A Media Watch Special Report]", ''Online NewsHour'', PBS.