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Community Forum · Est. 2006
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11-26-2009, 05:19 PM
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Yangju Incident: Shin Hyo-sun and Shim Mi-seon Crushed by US Army Vehicle, 2002
Known as the Yangju highway incident, the June 13, 2002 deaths occurred when Shin Hyo-sun and Shim Mi-seon, both 14-year-old South Korean schoolgirls, were hit and killed by a US Army M60 armored vehicle-launched bridge on a narrow Yangju road north of Seoul. They had been walking to a friend's birthday party on the morning of a local election holiday, when schools were closed. The vehicle was returning from training and was nearly as wide as the lane. Its driver could not see the girls, while an intercom warning from the commander failed to reach him. Sgt. Mark Walker, the driver, and Sgt. Fernando Nino, the commander, faced negligent homicide charges but were acquitted by US military juries in November 2002. The US had declined to transfer jurisdiction under the Status of Forces Agreement. President Bush apologized and both families received compensation. The verdict prompted the largest anti-American protests South Korea had seen in years and launched the candlelight vigil movement, which became a fixture of Korean politics. A frequently repeated allegation that the vehicle stopped on the girls before reversing over them is contested and was not supported at trial. |