UIRYEONG — 1982 · Major Tragedy
The Uiryeong Massacre — A Night in Gungnyu
On the night of 26 April 1982 a police officer stationed in Gungnyu, Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang, took weapons and explosives from the police armoury and carried out an hours-long attack across four villages. Fifty-six people were killed and around 35 injured. Before dawn the attacker killed himself and those with him with explosives in a house. It remained the deadliest mass shooting by a single perpetrator until the 2011 Norway attacks. The interior minister resigned and the police response was investigated. Long remembered in silence, the event received a memorial park in Uiryeong in 2024.
- Date
- 1982
- Place
- South Gyeongsang, South Korea, Uiryeong, KR
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 35.3700, 128.1800 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 26 April 1982The officer took weapons from the Gungnyu police post and attacked villages.
- 27 April 1982Before dawn he killed himself with explosives; 56 people had died.
- April 1982The interior minister resigned.
- 2024A memorial park for the victims opened in Uiryeong.
Sources
- Hankyoreh — Uiryeong olayı dosyası hani.co.kr ↗
- Yonhap — Uiryeong anma parkı haberi yna.co.kr ↗
- Wikipedia — Uiryeong shooting incident en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Hankyoreh
- Yonhap
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from the 1980s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.