President Syngman Rhee being interviewed by American correspondents (as of August 17, 1950). /Provided by National Archives)
“Sungman Rhee blew up the Han River bridge, killed the people, ran away, and then secretly tried to go into exile.” This is a phrase frequently used as a subject of criticism by those attacking former President Syngman Rhee (1875-1965). They mock him by saying, ‘Run Seungman.’ The documentary film ‘The Founding War’, which was recently released and attracted over 620,000 cumulative viewers, devoted a significant amount of time to refuting this. It was confirmed to what extent the criticism and rebuttal of the Han River bridge explosion, radio speech, decision to flee, and the government in exile were true.
①Civilians sacrificed by blowing up the Han River bridge?: No civilian casualties were confirmed
It is reported that in the early morning of June 28, 1950, at the beginning of the Korean War, the South Korean military blew up the Han River footbridge and Han River railroad bridge, killing hundreds of civilians crossing the bridge. The number of victims was mentioned as ‘800’, while another publication stated that there were ‘4,000’. This was the basis for the criticism that Syngman Rhee himself went to refuge but killed the people to prevent them from taking refuge.
However, the movie ‘National Foundation War’ refuted the theory of civilian casualties, saying, ‘At the time of the bombing, civilians were prevented from crossing the bridge, and the people who died in the bombing were 70 police officers from Jongno Police Station.’
Graphics = Baek Hyung-seon
The ‘800 civilian casualties’ theory originated from the US military advisory group that witnessed the scene at the time, estimating that ‘500 to 800 soldiers and civilians were killed by explosions or drowned.’ However, this was only an estimate and not verified data. The first volume of ‘Korean War History’ (1977 revised edition) published by the Ministry of National Defense’s Military History Compilation Committee (now the Military Compilation Research Institute), established in 1964, based on extensive data, said, “Among those killed in the Han River Bridge bombing, 76 police officers were killed in the line of duty.” . Regarding this, Shin Ki-cheol, former head of the investigation team of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for Past Affairs, confirmed this again in his 2014 research paper, ‘The People Are Not the Enemy.’ Other than the 70 or so police officers, no civilian casualties were confirmed, and civilians could not cross the Han River Bridge at the time due to military control.
Han River footbridge scene during the founding war
②He made a radio speech telling people to stay in Seoul with peace of mind?: He never said that, but there was a risk of misunderstanding.
President Syngman Rhee’s speech through a radio broadcast after his evacuation on June 27, 1950, saying, ‘Citizens of Seoul, the government will protect Seoul, so please remain in Seoul with confidence’ was also presented as a basis for criticism.
Regarding this, ‘National Foundation War’ reviewed the record of Syngman Rhee’s speech on the 27th recorded by the US CIA wiretapping department and found that “The enemy is armed with tanks and is advancing, and the South Korean army has no means to fight back.” “General MacArthur provided officers and logistics for us. It was revealed that although there was content that said, “We will send supplies,” there was no content anywhere that said, “Please protect Seoul with peace of mind, citizens.”
In fact, Syngman Rhee’s speech, which was broadcast at 10 pm on the 27th, requested the public’s cooperation, saying, “I believe that all citizens will demonstrate courage and patriotism while carrying out the task of war.” It is a clear distortion to say that ‘Sungman Rhee broadcasted to the citizens of Seoul to stay in Seoul with peace of mind.’ However, since news such as ‘the National Assembly has resolved to defend Seoul’ was broadcast around this broadcast, listeners could have misunderstood.
③ Did Syngman Rhee decide on his own to evacuate to Daejeon immediately after the outbreak of the war?: There is a record that he expressed his intention to evacuate on the night of the 25th, but the actual evacuation took place on the 27th.
There was also criticism that Syngman Rhee took a train and fled to the south in the early morning of June 27th. It was also pointed out that Syngman Rhee’s flight was his own decision out of fear of war. ‘National Foundation War’ says, “In a war situation, it is common sense that the head of state would urgently go to the safe rear for the sake of national security and the continuity of the government.”
Whether Syngman Rhee had the intention to flee varies depending on the data. According to ‘Part 7 of the Foreign Relations of the United States in 1950’, a document released by the U.S. State Department in 1977, Syngman Rhee met with U.S. Ambassador to Korea John Mucho on the night of June 25 and expressed his intention to flee to Daejeon. But in reality, he did not leave Seoul the next day, the 26th. At an emergency cabinet meeting held at 2 a.m. on the 27th, Minister of National Defense Shin Seong-mo and Cho Byeong-ok suggested that the president leave Seoul, and Syngman Rhee, who had strongly opposed evacuation, boarded a special train at Seoul Station at 4 o’clock.
President Syngman Rhee giving an impromptu speech from a jeep while inspecting the Eastern Front (1951). /Provided by Giparang
④Designed a government-in-exile?: Rejected the U.S.’s proposal for a government-in-exile
Some people say that Syngman Rhee requested that a government in exile be established overseas. The data requesting a government in exile was confirmed in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. This was first reported by Japan’s Sankei Shimbun in 1996, but is not recognized as reliable data. In 2015, KBS broadcasted the related content as if it were the first report, but was criticized for poor reporting, deleted the article from its website, and issued a ‘caution’ by the Korea Communications Commission. received disciplinary action
‘National Foundation War’ only briefly revealed a still photo of this report and did not refute it, but said, “When Ambassador Mucho suggested a government in exile, Syngman Rhee pulled out a gun and said, ‘If the People’s Army comes in, I will shoot my wife first, shoot them, and then shoot me. He introduced an anecdote saying, “He said.” This is a side note written from Mrs. Francesca’s diary about the situation on August 13, 1950.
2024-02-18 18:01:13
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