Geochang County Council Urges Enactment of Compensation Bill for Geochang-Hamyang New Government Building Case Victims

Restoration of Honor for Victims and Bereaved Families
Substantial Compensation for Psychological and Material Damages

The Geochang County Council in South Gyeongsang Province has called on the government and the National Assembly to enact a special compensation bill that would provide substantial restitution to the victims and bereaved families of the Geochang-Hamyang New Government Building Case, which occurred due to state authority before and after the Korean War.

In a recently adopted statement, the council pointed out, "Although the Geochang-Hamyang New Government Building Case is a representative civilian massacre officially acknowledged by the state, the victims and their families have suffered for decades without receiving full compensation or restoration of honor."

Group photo urging the enactment of the Compensation Act for those involved in the 'Geochang-Hamyang New Government Building Case' by Geochang County Council.

The council strongly criticized the ongoing delays in compensation, emphasizing that despite the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the government's official recognition, there are still no legal or institutional mechanisms in place to support these measures.

The council expressed concern, stating, "With most victims and bereaved family members now elderly, the delay in enacting compensation legislation amounts to yet another form of state violence. As time passes, the opportunity for restoration disappears."

The council further asserted, "The Geochang-Hamyang New Government Building Case is not merely a problem of the past, but an ongoing issue of state responsibility. The National Assembly must stop delaying legislation or prioritizing political interests and swiftly enact an independent and effective compensation bill."

The council also made it clear that the compensation bill must explicitly include: ▲restoration of honor for victims and bereaved families; ▲substantial compensation for psychological and material damages; and ▲support for memorial projects and historical documentation.

The Geochang County Council emphasized, "If the state has acknowledged its past wrongdoing, it must also accept the corresponding responsibility. The longer justice is delayed, the more it is undermined, and the more the state remains silent, the more it loses the public's trust."

Finally, the council declared, "We will continue to raise our voices, refusing to turn away from the pain of the victims and their families, until the state fulfills its historical responsibility."