‘No massacres committed’

Grim history: Visitors watching records of South Korean military soldiers during the Vietnam War at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. — AP

South Korea’s defence minister insisted the country’s soldiers didn’t commit any massacres during the Vietnam War and indicated the government will appeal a ruling that ordered compensation for a Vietnamese woman who lost several relatives to a shooting rampage blamed on South Korean marines in 1968.

When asked about last week’s ruling by the Seoul Central District Court, South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup told a parliamentary committee that his ministry is certain there were “absolutely no massacres committed by our troops” during the Vietnam War.