for second year in a row

Memorial ceremony organized in Fletcher School at Tufts University, Boston

The memorial ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3 took place on April 6 in the Cabot Intercultural Center of the Fletcher School, an international affairs graduate school at Tufts University in Boston. The second round of the U.S.-based annual memorial event was hosted by the Jeju 4·3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. and was organized by the Jeju 4·3 International Network for Truth and Justice and the Jeju 4·3 Memorial Project Committee. The ceremony was especially notable this year in that it officialized the publication of Walden Korea Journal, an English-language academic journal about Jeju 4·3.

Yang Suyeon, chairwoman of the Jeju 4·3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S., said in her memorial speech: “We have broadened the spectrum of participants by inviting more guests such as graduate students. This is to inform local communities and pay respects to the Jeju 4·3 victims here in the United States. We will not only appease the souls of the deceased victims but also tell participants about U.S. responsibility in the tragic event and call for truth-finding efforts on the U.S. side.”

The participants of the memorial ceremony included students who study diplomacy and international relations at the Fletcher School of Tufts University.

The Jeju 4·3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. published the inaugural Walden Korea Journal late last year, sponsored by the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation. Researchers and students studying diplomacy and international relations joined the planning committee, and the journal addressed Jeju 4·3 through in-depth interviews with experts.

The memorial ceremony showed video messages by Kim Chang-beom, chairman of the Association of the Bereaved Families of Jeju 4·3 Victims, Oh Gwang-hyeon, chairman of the Japan Association of the Bereaved Families of Jeju 4·3 Victims, and Oh Young-hoon, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The ceremony was followed by a reception, where a memorial performance was held by the Citizen Participation Art Troupe and Scent of Camellia, which expressed the pent-up resentment of Jeju 4·3 victims.

Memorial events for the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3 held in the nation’s capital

At 3 p.m. on April 3, a memorial ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3 was held at Sinchon Station, on the so-called Street of Youth. The Seoul event is organized by the Jeju 4·3 Pan-National Committee (Chairman: Baek Gyeong-jin), and this year, it deviated from the format of a memorial service to feature a cultural event that publicly told the truth about Jeju 4·3 in a space used daily by many people. The ceremony began in Changcheon Cultural Park with the theme song that is sung on Memorial Day of the nation’s March 1 Independence Movement.

Players of musical instruments, coming out one by one from the crowd, gathered on the stage, and Spanish singer Lara Benito sang “Sleepless Southern Island” and the theme song of Mr. Sunshine, a popular TV show about Korean independence activists. Seo Taehwa, a Jeju-born actor, reenacted the scene of the 1947 Jeju event to commemorate the March 1 Independence Movement, adding a theatrical narration. His acting was followed by a choral performance, and the ceremony ended with a commemorative speech by historian Jeon Woo-yong. The event especially drew attention because it presented a crossover musical drama on the truth about Jeju 4·3, excluding any formal rituals and a host.

The ceremony was held under the themes of “unification” and “independence.” The Jeju 4·3 Pan-National Committee stated that years of effort put into finding the legitimate name of Jeju 4·3 have yet to reach a clear conclusion. In the announcement, the committee also said: “Now is the time to gather our courage and responsibility to approach the complicated truth about Jeju 4·3. At this juncture, we will begin to take a step closer to the legitimate name of Jeju 4·3 by suggesting a campaign with the slogan, ‘Jeju 4·3 advocates unification and independence.’”

Meanwhile, the committee prepared various exhibitions and lectures. Prior to the ceremony on April 1, lectures were given on the topic of “Why do we discuss Jeju 4·3?” by novelist Hyun Ki-young, Bishop Kang Woo-il of the Catholic Jeju Diocese, lawmaker Kim Jong-min, who is a member of the Central Jeju 4·3 Committee, and Dr. Han Sang-hee, who specializes in education studies. Historian Jeon Woo-yong also gave a lecture on “Independence and Jeju 4·3.” The lecture on April 5 featured Dr. Kim Nuri, a scholar of German literature who spoke about the “Past Liquidation and Unification.” On April 8, former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and lawmaker Kim Jong-min, a member of the Central Jeju 4·3 Committee, discussed “Jeju 4·3 and the Struggle of Memory,” followed by a lecture given by Yang Jo Hoon, former president of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation.

223 works (124 literature and 99 fine arts) received

19 people each in literature and art categories selected as winners

The 6th Student Jeju 4·3 Literary Contest was held on May 13 at the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park. The annual event is jointly hosted by the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education. It resumed four years after it was suspended due to COVID-19.

Despite the rainy weather, 201 students (97 elementary school students, 75 middle school students, and 31 high school students) participated in the event. The students who joined the contest expressed their thoughts on peace and human rights related to Jeju 4·3 in literature (poems, essays) and art (imaginary pictures, pictures drawn from nature).

A total of 223 works (124 in literature and 99 in fine arts) were received and 19 winners each were selected in the categories of literature and fine arts. The Grand Prize winners were Bu Seo-rin (first-year student at Jeju Girls’ Middle School), who wrote an essay titled “Nameless Dog Gaettongi,” and Yong Ye-ji (third-year student at Hallim High School), who painted “Camellia Flowers Blooming With Tears.”

Bu said, “On the one hand, I am happy to receive this prize, but on the other hand, it is heartbreaking to think that if Jeju 4·3 had not taken place, so many people would have lived with greater joy than I am feeling now.” Yong recounted what she had heard from her grandmother on Jeju 4·3. “My painting is based on her story, and I hope that it will bring consolation to my grandmother and other victims and their families,” she said.

The Grand Prize was presented in the name of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Superintendent of Education and the winners also received additional prizes worth 500,000 won each. Those who won the Best Prize (one for each category for elementary, middle, and high school), the Excellence Prize (two for each category), and the Encouragement Prize (three to five for each category) were also awarded additional prizes worth 300,000 won, 200,000 won, and 100,000 won, respectively. The award-winning works will be compiled into a collection, which will be open to the public.