The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in South Korea.
NameDateLocationDeaths NotesAsan massacre1950Asan800Committed by SK police, Korean Youth League and Taeguki Alliance.Autumn Uprising of 19461946, September–OctoberSouth Korea611The uprising resulted in the deaths of 92 policemen, 163 civil workers, 116 civilians, and 240 rioters. 7,500 injured, 2,609 people were arrested by the police and military.Bodo League massacre1950, SummerSouth Korea100,000–200,000Mass murder of communists and suspected communist sympathizersSouth Korea owns up to brutal past Sydney MorningBloody Gulch massacre1950, August 12Masan75North Korea's Korean People's Army (KPA) 13th Regiment then killed 75 US Army prisoners of warChaplain-Medic Massacre1950, 7 (Jul) 16Tunam 31 POWsVictims included 1 chaplain. 1 survivor of massacreDecember Massacres1950, DecemberSeoul thousandsMassacre of suspected communistsGanghwa massacre1951, Jan 6-9Ganghwa County212–1300Massacre of 212 to 1,300 unarmed civilians by South Korean forces, South Korean Police forces and pro-South Korean militiamenGeochang massacre1951, Feb 9–11Geochang719Massacre of 719 unarmed citizens by 11th Division of the South Korean ArmyJeongeup massacre1950, SeptemberJeongeup167North Korean forces murdered numerous Protestants and right-wingers.Nonsan massacre1950, September 27–28 Nonsan66North Korean soldiers executed 66 members of a Protestant Church.Goyang Geumjeong Cave Massacre1950, 10 (Oct) 9-31Goyangover 153 After the victory of the Second Battle of Seoul, South Korean authorities arrested and summarily executed several individuals along with their families on suspicion of sympathizing with North KoreaHangang Bridge bombing1950, 28 JuneHangang Bridge, Seoul500-800Demolition operation conducted by the South Korean Army to destroy the Hangang Bridge Hill 303 Massacre1950, Aug 17Waegwan 41 POWsForty-one United States Army (US) prisoners of war were murdered by troops of the North Korean People's Army (KPA).Jeju uprising1948, Apr 3Jeju Island25,000–30,000Killed about 1/5th of the island's populationMungyeong massacre1949 Dec 24Mungyeong86–88Massacre of 86 to 88 unarmed civilians by Syngman Rhee anticommunist forcesNamyangju Massacre1950, 10 (Oct)-early 1951Namyangjuover 460More than 460 people were summarily executed, including at least 23 children under the age of 10 by South Korean police and local militia forces.National Defense Corps Incident1950, December50,000–90,00050,000 to 90,000 soldiers starved to death or died of disease on the march and in the training campsNo Gun Ri Massacre1950, Jul 26–29No Gun Ri163–400Mass killing of 163 - 400 South Korean refugees by U.S. military air and ground fire near the village of Nogeun-ri.Sancheong-Hamyang massacre1951, Feb 7Sancheong and Hamyang705Massacre of 705 unarmed citizens by South Korean forcesSeoul National University Hospital massacre1950, 28 JuneSeoul700-900Massacre of 700 to 900 doctors, nurses, inpatient civilians and wounded soldiers by the Korean People's Army (KPA).Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion 1948, October - October However pockets of resistance lasted through to 1957, almost 10 years later. Yeosu, Suncheon 2,976-3,392 During the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion, between 2,976 and 3,392 people died (depending on the sources), some 82 people went missing, between 1,407 and 2,056 people were injuredHongcheon shooting1958, January 23Hongcheon, Gangwon7 (including the perpetrator)An army captain Cho Sang Kook killed six people in Hongcheon during the night of January 23, 1958.Korean Officer Goes Berserk, The Lima News (January 24, 1958) (p. 8)Korean Officer Shoots 6, Takes Own Life, The Daily Republic (January 24, 1958) (p. 1)ROK Captain Slays 6 Army Officers, Hammond Times (January 24, 1958) (p. 7)South Korean captain kills 6, slays himself, Racine Journal Times (January 24, 1958) (p. 1)6사단 수색중대장 趙相九대위사건에 대해 육군본부에서 경위를 발표 - 장병 6명을 사살하고 자살, 발단은 사무인계. 정신착란의 소치, The Chosun Ilbo (January 25, 1958)Bloody Tuesday1960, April 19Seoul186Blue House raid1968, January 17–29Blue House, Seoul59Failed assassination attempt of Park Chung Hee by Unit 124Wonju shooting1969, June 5Wonju, Gangwon Province6 (Including the perpetrator)5-6 woundedShoots soldiers, The Lawton Constitution And Morning Press (June 8, 1969)Army sergeant kills soldiers, Cumberland Sunday Times (June 8, 1969)Berserk Korean kills 5, Pacific Stars and Stripes (June 9, 1969)잠든 사병 7명 사살 4명 중상. 술취한 하사 내무반에 카빈 40발 난사 자기도 자살, The Chosun Ilbo (June 8, 1969)Kimpo killings1971, January 18Kimpo7 (including the perpetrator)Killing spree by a South Korean marineUnit 684 mutiny1971, August 23Silmido and Seoul381974 Kimpo killings1974, May 1Kimpo11 (Including the perpetrator)Drunk soldier kills 9, The Sydney Morning Herald (May 2, 1974)Soldier in Seoul Kills Nine, The New York Times (May 2, 1974)10th Victim Dies In Shooting Spree, Pacific Stars and Stripes (May 5, 1974)만취병사 카빈 난동 사망 10명, The Chosun Ilbo (May 2, 1974)Assassination of Park Chung Hee1979, October 26Blue House, Seoul6The incident is often referred to as "10.26" or the "10.26 incident"Gwangju Democratization Movement1980, May 18–27Kwangjuover 165Civil/PoliticalUiryeong massacre1982, April 26–27Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang Province57 (including the perpetrator)South Korean policeman Woo Bum-kon murdered 56 people and wounded around 35 others in several villages in Uiryeong County, before committing suicide when he was confronted by police.Cho Jun-hui Incident1984, June 26Goseong County, Gangwon15+Perpetrator attacked his military camp, then fled across the border after the massacreGimpo International Airport bombing1986, September 14Gangseo District, Seoul5Bombing of airport by North KoreaOdaeyang mass suicide1987, August 28Yongin, Gyeonggi Province32Mass suicideFrog Boys case1991, March 26Daegu5Unsolved homicide of 5 boysDaegu Nightclub Arson1991, October 17Daegu16Attack on a nightclub, 13 WoundedDaegu subway fire2003, February 18Jungangno station, Daegu192Deadliest mass murder committed by a single perpetrator2005 Yeoncheon shooting2005, June 19Yeoncheon County8Private Kim Dong-min threw a grenade with a pin released at the interior office and fired a gun, killing eight people and injuring two others, known to the Korean public as the "Kim Il-byeong Incident."S.Korean soldier kills 8 colleagues in shooting spree, english.eastday.com (June 20, 2005)Eight Die, Two Hurt as Soldier Runs Amok in DMZ, Digital Chosunilbo (June 19, 2005)Pfc Kim Sentenced to Death for Shooting Rampage, english.chosun.com (November 23, 2005)Nonhyeon-dong massacre2008, October 20Nonhyeon, Seoul6Arson and stabbing attackGanghwa Island shooting2011, July 4Ganghwa County4Goseong killing spree2014, June 21Goseong County, Gangwon Province5Rampage by a South Korean soldierSejong and Hwaseong shootings2015, 25–27 FebruarySejong, Hoseo and Hwaseong, Gyeonggi8 (including both perpetrators)Two separate mass murder-suicides two days apartGunsan Bar arson attack2018 June Gunsan, North Jeolla Province528 injuredDaegu office fire2022, June 9Daegu7 (including the suspect)Seven people are killed and 49 are injured by a fire, suspected to be an arson attack, that spread through an office building in Daegu. The suspect Cheon (53) was killed in the fire.Gwanak restaurant stabbing2025, September 3Jowon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul3Two men and a woman were fatally stabbed at a pizza restaurant in Gwanak District by Kim Dong-won, the owner of the restaurant. All victims were pronounced dead upon being transported to hospital.
References
See also Korean War List of massacres in North Korea Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Korea)