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The Jeamni Massacre (Korean: 제암리 학살 사건; lit. Jeamni Massacre Incident) was the killing of Korean civilians by the Imperial Japanese Army inside a church in what is now Hwaseong, South Korea, near Suwon. To cover up the mass-killings, the Japanese soldiers burned the church down. However, Canadian missionary Dr. Frank W. Schofield witnessed the aftermath of the slaughter and published a report on the event.

Background

In 1919, two million Koreans organized peaceful protests against Japanese occupation in the March 1st Movement. In retaliation, Japanese authorities sent troops to violently suppress the demonstrations.

Massacre

On April 15, in the village of Jeamni, Japanese soldiers herded 29 residents, including children, into a Methodist church before firing at the building. Afterwards, the soldiers committed arson by lighting the church on fire and killing any surviving victims; they also set fire to nearby civilian homes. Canadian doctor Frank Schofield heard news of the event and immediately visited the scene. Schofield then wrote a report titled "The Massacre of Chai-Amm-Ni" and published it in The Shanghai Gazette on May 27, 1919.

Japanese cover-up

The Japanese lieutenant responsible was disciplined, but a group of senior officers decided to attribute the incident to resistance by local people.

In his diary, Japanese commander Taro Utsunomiya wrote that the incident would hurt the reputation of the Japanese Empire and acknowledged that the Japanese soldiers committed murder and arson. Utsunomiya's diary revealed that Japanese colonial authorities met and decided to cover up the incident.

Later events

In 2019, a group of 17 Japanese Christians visited the site of the massacre and apologized for the incident on behalf of Japan.

References

1. ^
2. "March First Movement | Korean history". Encyclopedia Britannica.
3. ^ "Diary entry reveals Japanese cover-up of massacre : International : News : The Hankyoreh". english.hani.co.kr.
4. ^ "Japanese Army Massacre Diary Found". www.donga.com. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
5. Korean History Dictionary Compilation Society. "제암리 학살사건". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Garam Planning. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
6. Service (KOCIS), Korean Culture and Information. "Frank W. Schofield: 'God-sent angel for Korean independence' : Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea". www.korea.net.
7. Legault, B.; Prescott, J. F. (2009). ""The arch agitator:" Dr. Frank W. Schofield and the Korean independence movement". The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 50 (8): 865–872. PMC 2711476. PMID 19881928.
8. "Japanese Army Massacre Diary Found". www.donga.com.
9. 심선아 (2019-02-27). "Visiting Japanese Christians apologize for 1919 church massacre". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2021-06-12.

• 1919 in Korea
• Massacres in Korea
• Massacres in 1919
• Imperial Japanese Army
• Massacres committed by Japan
• Anti-Korean violence
• Japanese war crimes in Korea