50 recipients announced, with Kim Hyeon-nyeo, aged 102, being the oldest

Recipients include 4 spouses of deceased victims, 1 surviving victim of unlawful imprisonment, and 9 victims with residual disabilities

The Jeju 4·3 Parents Awards have been awarded to 50 elderly people who overcame the pain and agony after the tragedy of Jeju 4·3 and helped Jeju be advanced until this stage.

On May 21, the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation held the Jeju 4·3 Parents Awards ceremony at the grand auditorium of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Education Center.

From February to April, the foundation reviewed meritorious achievements of the candidates who had been recommended by related institutions and organizations, including the Association for the Bereaved Families of Jeju 4·3 Victims, the Association of Jeju 4·3 Victims with Residual Disabilities, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Police Veterans Association, and the Jeju 4·3 Research Institute. The recipients were selected among survivors of Jeju 4·3 and victims’ elderly family members aged 85 or older. Four of them are the spouses of deceased victims, one survived unlawful imprisonment, and nine people suffer from residual disabilities due to Jeju 4·3. The oldest recipient is Kim Hyeon-nyeo, a female victim aged 102 years old (Ara-dong, Jeju City).

The award ceremony was attended by some 300 people, including award recipients and their families. Koh Hee-bum, president of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation, and Kim Chang-beom, chairman of the Association of the Bereaved Families of Jeju 4·3 Victims, presented commendation plaques, prize money certificates, and bouquets with gratitude and respect.

Those who have endured not only the damage due to Jeju 4·3 but also the difficult time afterwards said they felt rewarded when receiving the awards and shared an overwhelming joy with their family members. Many of them were reminded of tearful memories, such as where one person’s parents and grandparents were killed by the counterinsurgency forces and another survived the gunshot wounds she received when she hadn’t even passed her first birthday. There was also a victim’s son who has suffered from trauma since he carried his dead father home on an ox cart after he was killed at Jeongbang Waterfalls. Many of the recipients were innocent but had to serve prison terms; the others had to make a living for their families since childhood.

For those recipients who were unable to attend the award ceremony due to health reasons, president Koh visited them individually and delivered plaques and bouquets. Among them, Park Cheon-gil, who lost his father and brother at the time of Jeju 4·3 and was left to support his elderly mother and make a living for his family, wiped his tears by placing a bouquet next to his mother’s portrait, saying that his mother was very fond of flowers when she was alive.

Since 2009, the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation has presented the Jeju 4·3 Parents Awards to console and encourage victims and their bereaved families who have overcome the hardships of Jeju 4·3. Normally, 30 people are selected to receive the awards, but marking the 75th anniversary this year, 20 more people were added to the list of recipients, to give an opportunity to receive the award when even one more elderly victim or bereaved family member is still alive.

▲ Surviving victim (victim of Unlawful Imprisonment)

△ Yang Ok-nyeon (female, 96)

▲ Surviving victims (victim with residual disabilities)

△ Kang Il-hwa (female, 88) △ Ko Choon-ja (female, 80) △ Gyeong-saeng (female, 93) △ Kim Soon-yeo (female, 79) △ Seo Geun-sook (female, 83) △ Song Gap-su (male, 91) △ Yang Su-ja (female, 81) △ Jeong Gwi-ja (female, 77) △ Hong Soon-gong (female, 93)

▲ Victims’ spouses

△ Kim Gi-saeng (female, 98) △ Kim Man-ok (female, 99) △ Kim Hyeon-nyeo (female, 102) △ Byeon Jeong-rang (female, 96)

▲ Victims’ elderly family members (36 people)

△ Kang Gi-hoon (male, 86) △ Kang Jong-seok (male, 86) △ Kang Pyeong-ok (male, 89) △ Ko Yeong-cheol (male, 93) △ Ko Yoon-bae (male, 87) △ Kim Dae-ok (male, 91) △ Kim Myeong-seon (female, 89) △ Kim Soon-a (female, 91) △ Kim Eung-bin (male, 85) △ Kim Il-seong (female, 89) △ Kim Jeong-a (female, 88) △ Kim Jeong-hee (female, 88) △ Kim Choon-ja (female, 88) △ Park Yeong-chan (male, 90) △ Park Jeong-soon (female, 88) △ Park Cheon-gil (male, 87) △ Park Choon-hwa (female, 92) △ Byeon Su-bang (male, 85), △ Song Soon-ja (female, 85) △ Yang Gyeong-ho (male, 87) △ Yang Soon-nyeo (female, 85) △ Oh Hee-sook (female, 87) △ Yoon Sam-nye (female, 96) △ Lee Yeong-ja (female, 90) △ Lee Won-seok (male, 88) △ Lee Jang-hyeon (male, 87) △ Lim Gwan-sook (male, 86) △ Lim Sang-nyeol, 86) △ Lim Seong-in (female, 87) △ Jang Soon-nyeo (female, 87) △ Jeong Dae-jin (male, 86) △ Jeong Hong-nam (male, 87) △ Cha Gyeong-gu (female, 89) △ Hong Man-hyeon (male, 87) △ Hong Eul-saeng (female, 89) △ Hong Choon-ho (female, 86)