National Defense Corps incident
| Part of the Korean War | |
National Defense Corps soldiers in January 1951 | |
| Date | December 1950 – February 1951 |
|---|---|
| Cause | Inadequate supplies due to embezzlement of funds |
| Deaths | 50,000–120,000 |
| Convicted | Kim Yun-geun and four other officers |
| Sentence | Death by firing squad |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 국민방위군 사건 |
| Hanja | 國民防衛軍事件 |
| Revised Romanization | Gungminbangwigun Sageon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kungminbangwigun Sagŏn |
The National Defense Corps Incident was a death march that occurred in South Korea during the Korean War between December 1950 and February 1951. An estimated 50,000 to 120,000 conscripts died from starvation and frostbite as a result of corruption in the government of President Syngman Rhee.
Hundreds of thousands of South Korean men were mobilized into the newly-created National Defense Corps to defend South Korea against a North Korean-Chinese invasion after the UN retreat from North Korea. Funds and supplies were embezzled by corrupt high-ranking officials appointed by Rhee. Conscripts were forced to report to assembly points on foot, sometimes over hundreds of miles away, without appropriate food, clothing or shelter in the winter weather.
Investigation by the National Assembly of South Korea exposed widespread corruption in the South Korean government and military, leading to a political crisis for Rhee and the execution of five key officials of the National Defense Corps. The incident refers to both the deaths from starvation during the retreat and the corruption that led to the deaths.