A Jeju 4‧3 Feature Film

《My Name Is》

Kim Hye-joon (CEO, 《My Name Is》 Cultural Industry Specialized Company)

 

In recognition of the remarkable influence of film as a cultural and artistic medium, the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC) and the Jeju 4‧3 Peace Foundation organized the Jeju 4‧3 Feature Film Screenplay Competition in 2021. The following year, they supported the initial development of the winning screenplay 《My Name Is》 to be adapted into a film. After more than two years of extensive preparation, the film is now moving into full-scale production.

– Editor’s Note

Jeju 4‧3 Feature Film Screenplay Award Ceremony

 

“With hope in one hand and pain in the other, as surely as the blossoms return to their place,” the 76th April is just around the corner.

 

On Jan. 31, as I observed the general assembly of the Association of the Bereaved Families of Jeju 4‧3 Victims, I had many thoughts. It is a relief that steps have been taken to address the unfortunate circumstances, such as the inability to report marriages or births during the tragic unfolding of Jeju 4‧3, and measures like ex officio retrials are helping to exonerate the victims of unlawful court rulings. However, it seems unlikely that distortions and hatred toward historical facts, which resurface just as they are about to be forgotten, will ever disappear. This troubling cycle persists because there are those who show no empathy for others’ pain and suffering—and worse, actively exacerbate that suffering.

 

Why is it that those who mock or amplify the pain and misfortune of others seem to lack even the most basic capacity for empathy? It is because they do not truly believe in the inherent dignity of human existence. It is because they feel no fear of becoming unfortunate themselves. What makes us human and binds us as social beings is our inherent fragility. What instills compassion in our hearts is the sorrow and suffering we share. Without the capacity to feel pain, we would bear no obligation to practice humanity. Thus, to eliminate hatred toward the misfortune and suffering caused by historical events like Jeju 4‧3 and other societal tragedies, we would need every individual to experience unbearable suffering and misfortune, without exception. Yet, such a universal experience is utterly impossible.

 

A truly better world would have very few, if any, people burdened by misfortune. In reality, however, such individuals are far from uncommon. Conversely, there are many who have never experienced hardship and, consequently, lack even the slightest trace of sympathy. In an increasingly complex society, the trend of emphasizing minor differences rather than reducing them and dividing people into factions only grows stronger. People constantly warn one another, saying, “Don’t let yourself be swayed by emotions, sympathy, passion, public opinion, or popular sentiment.” They pretend to care but often add, “If you do, you’ll end up being a victim yourself, or the only victim at the end,” with an air of caution that borders on intimidation. To create a truly humane society, we should transform those in the middle ground—people who lie between the extremes of those who have suffered deep misfortune and those who have not—into beings with a sense of humanity. Truly human individuals show concern for others as friends, even if they are not directly involved in the events that caused suffering. They make an effort to place themselves in others’ shoes, striving to deeply understand even the smallest details that might cause others pain. Scholars who highlight the humanity of such individuals refer to them as ‘impartial observers’—those who, as much as possible, set aside their own perspective to seriously consider and empathize with the circumstances of others.

 

This is why we strive to share the values of peace and human rights embodied in Jeju 4.3 with the whole nation and the world beyond, eventually passing on these values to future generations. Efforts to expand and deepen these values by focusing on our connection with coming generations constitute a civic movement to nurture more ‘impartial observers’ in the global community. Against those who scoff and criticize, asking why we keep bringing up events from the past, we must persist in illuminating historical incidents. We must openly reveal the unresolved pain that has yet to subside, fostering profound social dialogue and healing deeply rooted in empathy. All the while, we need to employ innovative methods to disarm even the most hostile opposition in nonviolent and unconventional ways.

 

Realist art forms based on storytelling, such as novels and films, are, at their core, narratives about “human hopes and fears.” The intrigue and emotional resonance that artistic works provide cannot be separated from the audience’s empathetic concern for ‘people like themselves’ and the conflicts and frustrations that afflict them. The unique nature of story-based art lies in its ability to cultivate compassion by prompting audiences to take a deep interest in the pain and misfortunes of others and to identify with them as if such events could happen to themselves.

 

In the spring of 2021, the Jeju 4‧3 Peace Foundation, inspired by a commitment to artistic endeavors, held a competition for feature film screenplays. The winning entry, 《My Name Is》, was selected. After more than two years of extensive preparation, the film is now set to enter full-scale production, led by director Chung Ji-young, who is renowned for his socially conscious films such as 《Nambugun: North Korean Partisan in South Korea》, 《White Badge》, 《Unbowed》, 《Black Money》, and 《The Boys》.

 

The protagonist of the film is a woman who experienced Jeju 4‧3 at the tender age of eight and remembers very little of her childhood. Her faint, fleeting memories, like hazy mirages, surface only to vanish again, leaving her in anguish. She has a daughter who endured the pain of a different era, and that daughter’s child was legally adopted as her son. Many victims and families who experienced similar traumas during Jeju 4‧3 have likely buried their agony deep in their hearts, unable to bear the enormity of their suffering. Although Jeju 4‧3 is incomparable, countless others have experienced devastating events and wrestle with the overwhelming anguish they leave behind. 《My Name Is》 delves into how the wounds of Jeju 4‧3 resurface through the turbulent upheaval of the 1980s democratization movement—a period marked by similar suffering for the daughter’s generation—and how these scars manifest in 1998, ultimately finding their significance in the present day (in 2025) when the film reaches its audience, engaging with future generations.

               

As you might expect, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the landscape of the Korean film industry. With major film companies showing noticeably less enthusiasm for investment, it has become increasingly challenging to produce films with profound themes aimed at fostering ‘impartial observers.’ Yet, we cannot afford to simply wait for better circumstances. The production team has taken proactive steps to raise social awareness of the need for a Jeju 4‧3 film by assembling a production promotion committee composed of prominent figures. The committee includes respected leaders such as clergy members, a former chairperson of the Memorial Foundation for Democracy, and senior figures from civil society and the cultural and artistic communities. Additionally, the team has initiated a production committee, inviting individuals from various backgrounds to join as citizen investors who share the belief that this film must be made. By the end of January 2024, more than 300 people had joined this effort.

 

Local senior figures from Jeju have also joined the initiative. During discussions about forming a production committee in Jeju, a thoughtful suggestion emerged from within the local community: to establish a “pan-Jeju support association” to foster active collaboration. This led to the creation of a preparatory group for the association, followed by the launch of a full-scale promotional campaign inviting participation. The advisory board for the association includes esteemed figures linked to Jeju 4‧3 and Jeju’s broader community, such as Kang Man-saeng, Kang Chang-il, Ko Jeong-hwa, Ko Choong-seok, Koh Hee-beom, Yang Jo Hoon, and Jang Jeong-eon, as well as Bishop Kang Woo-il, Buddhist Monk Heo Woon, painter Kang Yo-bae, writer Hyun Ki-young, and entrepreneur Kang Tae-seon. The pan-Jeju support association has set an initial goal of gathering 403 founding members, symbolizing the significance of Jeju 4‧3, and the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

 

To outline the key upcoming events and challenges, the first event will be the official inauguration of the Pan-Jeju Support Association in mid-February 2024. The association welcomes not only individuals pledging citizen investments in advance but also civil society organizations. At the end of February, the production committee and the support association will jointly host a press conference in Jeju for national media. Following this, efforts to raise citizen investments and donations will begin in earnest, alongside campaigns to secure social contributions and investments from public institutions and corporations, which are essential for the project’s success.

 

Art is like air and water. Just as air is essential for life and water is something we cannot live without, our emotions would dry up if we were to live without art. Art makes us better human beings because it allows us to reflect on ourselves and develop empathy for others. Empathetic individuals not only share in the pain others unexpectedly face but also actively contribute to healing that pain, becoming key agents and members of a better society. This is the role of art, and it is why we believe that through the film 《My Name Is》, we can increase the number of ‘impartial observers’ and pass on the values of peace and human rights embodied in Jeju 4‧3 to future generations.

 

“Blow, the spring breeze of Jeju 4‧3. Fly, the seeds of peace.” Just as this slogan for the 76th Memorial Ceremony for Missing Victims of Jeju 4‧3 suggests, we earnestly hope that the meaningful artistic contribution of the film 《My Name Is》, which focuses on those who empathize with and heal pain together, will usher in the exhilarating spring breeze of peace for this land.