Koreans Meet With Pentagon

South Korean survivors of an alleged mass killing of civilians by U.S. troops told their stories at the Pentagon for the first time Friday, getting a pledge from the U.S. military to pursue the case as a tribute to the Korean War sacrifices of both nations.

Calling the incident the "No Gun Ri Holocaust," the four survivors accused U.S. soldiers of massacring innocent people, pursuing "only efficiency of their operation, totally ignoring human rights."

One survivor, Chung Eun-yong, said after meeting with U.S. officials, "We feel good about today's talks."

Charles L. Cragin, a deputy undersecretary of defense, and top Army investigators described for the Koreans how a review of the incident is being conducted.

"Both parties agreed that communication is key to the integrity of the review," the Army said in a statement after the meeting. It said U.S. officials reiterated an American pledge to work closely with the South Korean government and assured the survivors they "will vigorously pursue and publish the facts of what happened" at No Gun Ri.

The meeting ended with assurances from Cragin, Assistant Army Secretary Patrick T. Henry and Army Inspector General Michael Ackerman that the case will be pursued as "a tribute to the shared sacrifices of the Korean and American people during the Korean War."

Ackerman told a reporter that Army investigators likely would begin interviewing the American soldiers involved in the incident next month. The focus so far has been on researching military records, he said.

Before the meeting, Yang Hae-sook, 61, said, "I came here to tell the truth about No Gun Ri," Yang said. "I want to tell how American soldiers came to our village and took so many children and women and killed almost all of them."

South Korea's past military governments, cherishing close ties with Washington, had forced the survivors into silence. The later, democratically elected governments in Seoul knew about but never investigated the case. Washington had dismissed the claim since 1994, citing lack of evidence.

"The real tragedy about No Gun Ri was that we could not speak about it for 50 years," said Chung, who had half of his nose blown away by a bullet. He also lost his mother and baby sister at No Gun Ri.

The Korean survivors feared their campaign for official recognition by Washington might be seen as an attempt to discredit the sacrifices by American soldiers who fought alongside the South Korean troops during the war.

In a symbolic gesture, they paid homage to the Korean War Veterans Memorial on Thursday.

As dusk settled over the monument, they silently walked past 19 sculptures depicting bedraggled U.S. infantry men slogging through the rugged Korean countryside. Then they bowed their heads in front of the inscription honoring the servicemen who died to "defend a country they never knew and a people they neer met."