# “Seoul citizens, don’t worry”

(1)”Seoul citizens, don’t worry”
(2)Heavy rain was pouring in Seoul at dawn on June 28, 1950 Seoul citizens who went on a refuge were crowded with people as they were driven through the darkness to the Han River sidewalk bridge connecting Yongsan and Noryangjin. Around the time of the Korean War, there were five bridges in the Han River, including one single-track railway bridge, two double-track railway bridges, and the Han River India Bridge and Gwangjin Bridge Among them, the Indian bridge was the only way for Seoul citizens to cross the Han River from the city center. Around 2:30 a.m., when 4,000 refugees and a ox-cart loaded with evacuation tools got tangled and it was hard to take a step away, a fire column soared with a roar that shook heaven and earth. The Indian bridge was split in two, and the people and cars on it fell into the black river Syngman Rhee and the military leadership blew up the sidewalk bridge with 3,600 pounds of TNT, saying they would eliminate the risk of North Korean military crossing These are the sightings of how disastrous the scene was
(3)”When I walked in with Lieutenant Yoon to the site of the bombing, the second arch in the north was cut off, and it was a hell of a situation I couldn’t see with my eyes open.” The many vehicles were nowhere to be found, and the blue phosphorus blazes lit up, with a sea of blood and tangled flesh lights on it The refugees, who collapsed in blood, were scratching the bottom of their legs with their hands and shouting “mother” as if they were instinct before they diedJeong Hoon-guk of the Ministry of National Defense and Lee Chang-rok testify as a second lieutenant
(4)Three U.S. journalists were just getting off the bridge at the front when the Han River sidewalk bridge was bombed Behind us were more than 4,000 evacuees and soldiers on the bridge Around 2:30 a.m., orange lights flashed in the dark sky and the ground shook. Two long arches south of the bridge fell into the rolling black water with the sound of a torn eardrum At least 500 to 800 people jumped into the air and poured down the bridge. There was no warning to those crossing the bridge before the blastRoy Appleman, author of Nakdonggang River to Yalu River
(5)At that very time, President Syngman Rhee was staying at the Chungnam governor’s residence in Daejeon and broadcasting radio broadcasts to the public with the following contents recorded in advance”Seoul citizens, don’t worry The enemy is losing The government will stay in Seoul with you The enemy is retreating due to the armed forces’ counterattackOur Armed Forces will have lunch in Pyongyang and dinner in Sinuiju Taking this opportunity, our Armed Forces should pursue the enemy to the Yalu River and achieve unification, the long-cherished dream of the nation

(1)ⓒYonhap News
(2)On June 28, 1950, more than 800 Seoul citizens were killed by the Han River India Bridge, which was bombed by Rhee Syngman and the military leadership
(3)In the early morning of June 27, the Syngman Rhee administration convened an emergency cabinet meeting at the Central Office and decided to transfer the government’s functions to Suwon There was no mention or plan for the safety of Seoul citizens at this meeting President Rhee Syng-man left Seoul at 2 a.m. on June 27th, Defense Minister Shin Sung-mo at 2 p.m. on the same day, and Army Chief of Staff Chae Byung-deok left Seoul at 2 a.m. on June 28th, respectively. In particular, Chae Byung-deok instructed the engineer Choi Chang-sik to blow up the bridge immediately by radio after his jeep crossed the Han River sidewalk bridge War supplies such as 1,316 military vehicles and huge supplies, as well as 40,000 South Korean troops, remained in Gangbuk, Seoul. When the bridge was bombed, all equipment and supplies fell into the enemy’s hands
(4)Kim Ki-jun, head of the Peace Veterans Association, said this”In short, the bombing of the Han River sidewalk bridge is the result of the total incompetence and irresponsibility of the Rhee Syng-man administration. He could have saved countless lives if he had ordered evacuation on June 27.” Moreover, the only bridge people could cross at that time was the Han River India Bridge It was also a time when ferry boats were used as a means of crossing the Han River. Therefore, even if the bridge was bombed, hundreds of people could have been prevented from screaming and dying on the bridge if they had informed in advance.”
(5)In the early days of the war, Syngman Rhee’s false broadcasting through voice recordings and early bombing of the Han River India Bridge were nothing short of mocking the people When Seoul citizens knew the seriousness of the situation and tried to evacuate, many of the Han River bridges were destroyed and they were stranded
(6)What’s even more absurd is that only a few of Rhee Syng-man and his closest aides left Seoul in advance, but even high-ranking government officials such as Vice President Lee Si-young did not know that the president had fled. In the case of Vice President Lee Si-young, the secretariat sent from the North attempted to contact and found out the situation until he was offered, “Since only Lee Seung-man left Seoul and ran away, did the Vice President succeed to the presidency of the Republic of Korea?” Prime Minister Kim Il-sung said, “Let’s go with me because we want a summit.” He rejected the North’s offer to smuggle in the country and immediately got on the evacuation path and stepped on the land of Noryangjin at around 1 a.m. on June 28, just before the bombing of the Han River India Bridge, forcing many high-ranking government officials, lawmakers, and Seoul citizens to remain north of the Han River Among them, a significant number of government leaders, including Kim Gyu-sik, Cho So-ang, and Ahn Jae-hong, were kidnapped to the North Those lucky enough to flee were later framed by Rhee Syng-man as North Korean sidekick after the restoration of Seoul