A Homeland Farther Than the Moon… The Voice of Jeju Residents in Japan

Written by Moon Se-ah, Youth Member of the Jeju 4‧3 Memorial Project Committee
Photographs by Kim Ki-sam

“Have you eaten? Why haven’t you eaten? Here, eat this.” The play begins with laughter, with these warm words of offering food and asking about the audience’s well-being. The laughter soon turns to tears, and the performance ends with a standing ovation from the audience.

The tears carried more than just sorrow. They also held love, longing, and heartache, revealing pain while suggesting a sense of healing. Previously, Jeju 4‧3 was something I had only encountered through words, writings, and videos, which limited my ability to fully empathize. For someone like me, the theatrical play, 《The Flag of Ikaino Samchoon》 felt incredibly vivid and real. Through this glimpse into the lives of Jeju residents in Japan, I felt both pain and hope, gaining profound realizations and emotional resonance in the process of understanding Jeju 4‧3.

It was only last year that I first heard how many fled the Jeju 4‧3-driven massacres to Japan, settling in Ikaino (now Ikuno-ku). I began to vaguely understand that the history of Jeju 4‧3 is not confined to Jeju but also permeates the lives of its residents in Japan. Then, through 《The Flag of Ikaino Samchoon》, which sheds light on their lives, I learned their stories more deeply and realized it is history we must remember.

In April of this year, the 76th-anniversary memorial for Jeju 4‧3 victims was held at Tokokuji Temple in Osaka. It was there that I first saw 《The Flag of Ikaino Samchoon》. In July, upon hearing it would also be performed in Jeju as part of the Jeju 4‧3 Peace Foundation’s 17th Citizen Academy, I rushed to see it again. It was, in a sense, the beginning of my “Nth” rewatch.
When I first watched the play in Osaka in April, most of the dialogue was in Japanese. Subtitles were provided to aid understanding of the play. In Jeju, most of the dialogue was in Korean. The efforts to adapt the play were evident. Though it was the same play, it resonated with me differently.

《The Flag of Ikaino Samchoon》 is a monodrama by actor Kim Ki-kang that portrays the life of Jeju residents who fled Jeju during the turmoil of Jeju 4‧3 and spent the rest of their lives in Japan. The play introduces Ikaino Samchoon, an unnamed character (Samchoon referring to a non-gendered kinship term for addressing elder acquaintances in Jeju), and begins with her interaction with the audience. Ikaino Samchoon asks if they’ve eaten, offering rice balls and boiled eggs, presenting herself as a humorous and cheerful person. She then recalls the time when she stowed away to Japan. At her mother’s words, “I can’t save everyone, only you,” a young girl boards the stowaway ship and eats a rice ball given to her by the captain, referred to as “Captain Samchoon.” He tells her, “Your mother gave you this,” encouraging her to eat it all, but during the long and treacherous sea voyage, the girl vomits it all back up.

 

After crossing over to Japan and living there for the rest of her life, Ikaino Samchoon marries, has children, and eventually grandchildren, building a life with her family. However, her life is fraught with many hardships. Unable to read, she can’t take buses or subways, and she could only shop at the same familiar stores for food and supplies. Earning money is equally difficult. She works grueling jobs like managing pachinko parlors, selling beef intestines, and sewing, all while enduring discrimination and living in harsh conditions. The play mentions the state-led repatriation program for Korean residents in Japan and how Korean markets in Osaka thrived in April, as many families gathered to hold ancestral rites. It also recounts how no one attended the funeral of Captain Samchoon, who had saved many lives through his smuggling trips, out of fear that their identities as stowaways might be revealed. These stories offer glimpses into the sorrow and precarious lives of Jeju residents in Japan.

As time passes, President Roh Moo-hyun issues an apology for state violence inflicted during Jeju 4·3, and only then does Ikaino Samchoon enroll in school to learn how to read and write. To answer why she continued to live in Ikaino, she shares stories from the past.

The final act begins by showing Jeju residents during Jeju 4‧3, buoyed by hope for a self-reliant, independent new nation, under the “Five Principles of Nation-Building.” This leads to the police shooting at the rally commemorating the March 1 Independence Movement, the ensuing general strike, the atrocities committed by the Northwest Youth League, and the uprising of Jeju people on April 3. The play reenacts brutal and ruthless massacres, showing deaths in caves, in Gotjawal (forests formed on a volcanic landscape), and the sea. It portrays the devastation of homes burned to the ground, leaving distraught and mournful survivors unable to find their way back or recover the bodies of their loved ones. With gunshots and the anguished cries of those who fall, the unjust deaths of the victims build to the play’s climax.

“A boat carrying hope, those days forgotten in the struggle to survive across two countries. Jeju 4‧3, reunification, independence… My homeland farther than the moon, scatter my ashes over Mt. Hallasan and the sea of Jeju.”

This was a valuable opportunity to feel and learn more about Jeju 4‧3 and the lives of Jeju residents in Japan. In addition to the content, the play’s dynamic interaction with the audience, creative use of props, the sounds of the radio, accompanying visuals and subtitles, and the passionate performance by actor Kim Ki-kang all enriched the delivery of its message to the audience.

I felt heartbroken, sorrowful, and at the same time deeply moved to witness such a remarkable play. I applaud the theater group Dol for their hard work in bringing this to life. I wish I could fully capture all the emotions I felt. If given the chance, I would love to watch 《The Flag of Ikaino Samchoon》 again. I hope more people join together to remember and act collectively because Jeju 4‧3 remains an enduring part of our history.