From Voice of Korea
http://vok.rep.kp/index.php/detail_com/comde/iee260819030/43/en
The US hostile policy toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has a deep historical root.
Seeing through the strategic importance of the Korean peninsula in implementing its policy toward Asia, the United States resorted to the “gunboat diplomacy” based on the armed attack on Korea one hundred and tens of years ago.
The “General Sherman” was chosen as the first “expeditionary fleet” for realizing such a brigandish ambition of the United States to invade Korea.
The mission of the “General Sherman” was to act as an advance and scouting party executing the Korea policy of the US government on “opening” Korea.
This notwithstanding, however, the United States cunningly disguised the “General Sherman” as a “trading vessel” in order to cover its aggressive nature before making it intrude into Korea.
In the “General Sherman” there were many military personnel as well as four cannons and many rifles, short guns, military swords, cannonballs and ammunition.
Moreover, the shipowner Preston was an official of the US government and officer.
This shows well the aggressive character of the “General Sherman”.
The “General Sherman” intruded into Korea with the aim of threatening the feudal rulers with the warship and the boom of cannons to force an unequal treaty on them and thus opening up the road of aggression upon Korea.
The US invaders of the “General Sherman”, who sneaked into the Taedong River aiming at Pyongyang, made an illegal landing in the summer of 1866 and perpetrated all sorts of atrocities such as outrage on women and girls as well as espionage acts against Korea everywhere they went. They also made a surprise attack on a ship of the Pyongyang Government Office on patrol and kidnapped even a military officer.
The Korean government denounced the US invaders for their illegal acts and brutal atrocities and strongly demanded them send back the military officer and go back to their den at once. At this, the invaders had the impudence to demand 1,000 sok of rice and a lot of gold, silver and insam.
When their brigandish demand was resolutely ignored by the Korean government, the US invaders committed brutal massacre against the Korean people and pillage.
They fired rifles and guns at the people who gathered by the river, seriously threatening their lives, and plundered the boats of residents coming up and down the Taedong River. They went the lengths of firing at private houses around the river indiscriminately, killing a lot of innocent people.
Enraged at the arrogant acts of the “General Sherman”, the Korean people resisted it with bombardment and fire attack.
Thanks to their patriotic struggle against aggression, the “General Sherman” was destroyed late in July 1866 (early in September by the solar calendar) and the invaders were all killed.
The incident of intrusion by the aggressor ship “General Sherman” was a prelude to the aggressive policy toward Korea enforced by the United States with the ambition to invade Korea and make her their colony from A to Z.
