Korean Americans Protest South Korean Girls’ Deaths

Another U.S. military death inflames old anger

By Avy Mallik
Special to AsianWeek

Several Korean American groups in New York City banded together to organize a rally protesting the deaths of Hyo Soon Shin and Mi Sun Shim. Shin and Shim, two 13-year-old Korean girls, were crushed to death by an American armored vehicle in June in South Korea. This incident has led to an increase of anti-American sentiments in South Korea and a renewed call for the removal of all U.S. troops from the peninsula.

The demonstration, which took place on July 31 in Times Square, was held just outside a military recruitment office. The committee for the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops in Korea at the International Action Center (IAC) and the Korea Truth Commission were the primary organizers of the event.

Yoomi Jeong, Deputy Secretary General of the Korea Truth Commission, is a vocal activist regarding the volatile behavior of the American military in Korea: “The latest news I heard [regarding the incident] indicated that the U.S. military in South Korea have decided not to hand over jurisdiction of the two drivers responsible. They have obvious reasons to do so [as they are clearly guilty].”

Jeong went on to say that of the 500 or so crimes committed by off-duty American soldiers, less than 1 percent of the cases have made it to Korean courts. The rest have been handled by America’s military courts, with many of the soldiers receiving only warnings or community service.

“In fact, only a few received an honorable discharge,” an irate Jeong said. “Had the cases been tried on Korean courts, there would have been a fair trial.”

A South Korean child stands in front of a banner depicting a bloodstained U.S. flag and U.S. tank in Seoul. Protesters demanded that the U.S. military give up jurisdiction over two American soldiers whose armored vehicle struck and killed two South Korean girls.

Jeong believes that the U.S. military’s dishonesty has flamed anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea: “It’s catching up [to America]. There have been new organizations protesting the presence of the U.S. military. They are at the forefront burning American flags, jumping army bases and generally doing things that nobody would have done before.” According to Jeong, even Korea’s most conservative party, traditionally a close political ally to America, asked for jurisdiction of the two American soldiers.

Though Jeong is an American citizen, her demeanor suggests the opposite of the patriotic zeal that has been prevalent in post-Sept. 11 America. Asked how long she has lived in this country, her reply was, “Too long.”

“I think that there is a lack of sincerity and respect exhibited by the U.S. military,” Jeong said. “First they lied, giving wrong information in their press release. Then they lied to the parents of the girls [Shin and Shim], saying that they would meet the parents to have a site inspection of where the accident occurred. They never showed up.”

Despite the small gathering of 30 demonstrators at the New York rally, Jeong deems it a success: “Many young Americans walked by our rally, learned about the situation and joined our protests. We were [protesting] in the middle of rush hour — between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. — and brought the matter to the public’s attention.”

The Korea Truth Commission and IAC are planning to bring the parents of the slain children to America. “We are promoting the victims’ families’ visit to let people know what really happened. It’s not definite yet, but there’s a possibility that the girls’ parents will be in the United States some time in August,” said Sharon Ayling, chairman of IAC’s Committee for the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops in Korea, in a statement to Korea Times in New York. Jeong says that Korea Truth Commission is planning on protesting outside the White House.

Jeong believes that it is imperative that the U.S. president issue a formal apology to the South Korean people. Given the increase in anti-U.S. sentiments, things could turn potentially ugly. “There are 37,000 American troops in Korea,” warned Jeong. “In the event of violence, those soldiers will become the target.”