The Hà My Massacre was a

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

purportedly conducted by the South Korean Marines on 25 February 1968 of unarmed citizens in Hà My village, Điện Dương commune, Điện Bàn District, Quảng Nam Province in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

. Prior to the massacre, Korean forces had visited the village before but were not aggressive or hostile. The massacre was purportedly conducted by the 2nd Marine Division. One survivor's testimony was that Korean forces had entered the village, ordered her family into an underground shelter and threw grenades, killing and wounding members of her family, and even targeted infants. According to South Korean anthropologist Heonik Kwon, it was reportedly conducted in retaliation for

Vietcong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

(VC) mortar fire on a ROK Marine Artillery Battery firebase that killed a South Korean Marine artillery ''

Daewi (; ) is the rank held by company-grade officers in some East Asian militaries. The ranks are used in both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan, and both North and South Korea. Chinese variant People's Liberation Ar ...

'' (Captain), a ''

Sangsa (; ) is the rank usually held by Non-commissioned officers in some East Asian militaries. The ranks are used in both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan, and both North and South Korea. The rank name is based on the ...

'' (First Sergeant) and four conscripts. The attack was preceded by two hours of shelling by 155 mm artillery, during which two helicopters were circling overhead the village and machine-gunning those that tried to escape. Later helicopters and trucks transported almost 200 Marines to the village who killed many more civilians at close quarters. The victims were 135 women, children and elders from the thirty households. After the massacre, the Marines bulldozed a shallow grave and buried the victims' bodies en masse and later used

napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated alu ...

bombs from helicopters in an attempt to destroy any evidence. Kwon states that this assault against the corpses and graves is remembered as the most inhumane aspect of the incident. Korean forces returned to the village the next day and had flattened the village. The region surrounding the village became a hotbed for VC activity, remaining resistant to Korean forces in the region until they were relegated to guarding bases later that year and until their departure in 1973. The commune would later earn the designation as a Hero District of the People's Armed Forces of the PAVN. In December 2000, a memorial for the 135 victims was founded in Hà My village.

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Peaceful rest for a victim of massacre in Vietnam
Massacres in Vietnam Mass murder in 1968 Massacres in 1968 History of Quảng Nam province Vietnam War crimes by South Korea Massacres committed by South Korea South Korean war crimes 1968 in Vietnam February 1968 events in Asia Military history of South Korea during the Vietnam War {{massacre-stub

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