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Complainant Nguyen Thi Thanh was seven years old when South Korean soldiers shot and killed five of her relatives during a search operation.
Today she is 62.
Photo: picture alliance / Kyodo
Almost 48 years after the end of the Vietnam War, South Korea has to pay a Vietnamese woman $24,000 for being shot by South Korean marines.
That was decided by a court in Seoul.
For the first time, the country's judiciary holds the government responsible for the mass killings of Vietnamese civilians.
The ruling could pave the way for similar lawsuits.
After the USA, the anti-communist South Korean military, with 320,000 soldiers, provided the largest contingent of troops for the war against the "National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam", known as the "Vietcong".
Survivors reported shootings at civilians
According to US military documents and survivors, more than 70 people were killed and about 20 others injured after South Korean marines reportedly shot unarmed civilians during searches in Phong Nhi and the nearby village of Phong Nhut in February 1968.
The plaintiff, Nguyen Thi Thanh, who is now 62, was seven years old at the time.
She was treated for gunshot wounds to the stomach while five of her family members died, including her mother, sister and brother.
She filed the lawsuit against the South Korean government and testified in Seoul court last August.
Also testifying at the trial were other Vietnamese villagers and South Korean war veteran Ryu Jin-seong, a member of the naval unit involved in the Phong Nhi and Phong Nhut attacks.
He described how the Korean soldiers shot at unarmed civilians, including many children and women.
Plaintiff "overjoyed" with her victory
Thanh, who awaited the verdict in Vietnam, said she was "overjoyed" with her victory in court "because I believe the souls (of those who died in Phong Nhi) can sleep easy now".
The South Korean government had claimed there was no conclusive evidence that South Korean forces were responsible for the killings.
In addition, she had suggested that the attackers could have been Viet Cong fighters dressed in Korean uniforms and engaged in psychological warfare.
Furthermore, the government insisted that even when Korean soldiers were involved, their aggressive response was understandable.
It was under constant threat from Vietcong guerrillas, who often hid among locals and actively recruited young women.
It was initially unclear whether the Korean government wanted to appeal.
fin/AP