The sinking killed thousands of Koreans who were aboard the ship to return home upon the liberation of Korea from the Japanese colonial rule.

After the incident, the Japanese reactionaries insisted that it was exploded by a mine laid by the U.S. army, but it was a lie.

According to testimonies of witnesses, including Japanese people, Ukishima-maru that left Ominato Port headed for Maizuru, not for Pusan of Korea.

It was disclosed that the ship was not loaded with fuel enough to go to Pusan. This proved that the ship was not due to go to Pusan.

Worse still, Japanese people, informed of the planned explosion beforehand, hurriedly escaped the ship by boats prior to the explosion, leaving Koreans only on the ship,

These facts illustrate that the incident was a planned massacre of Koreans, which was manipulated by the Japanese imperialists.

The Korean feature film "Souls Protest" gives a vivid representation of the massacre.