A memorial ceremony was held on April 3, as is the case every year. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3. The venue, which participants had been allowed to enter only on a restricted basis during the pandemic, was filled with victims’ families and Jeju residents for the first time in three years. However, neither the President nor the ruling party leader attended the ceremony. On the President’s behalf, the Prime Minister read a brief speech which strangely bristled with promises to support the attraction of cultural tourism and digital businesses to Jeju, and those in attendance were bewildered by the content of the speech that differed from the purpose of the memorial event. Words of consolation were offered through clichés to the bereaved families and other Jeju residents who survived the tragic history. During the speech, lamentations were even heard from among those in the audience, with murmurs of disappointment. It was even more chaotic outside the venue because some of the self-proclaimed members of the Northwest Youth League band, who purport themselves to be devoted to the salvation of the nation, caused a disturbance. In various ways, the memorial ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3 was a mess.

 

 

On the afternoon of April 3, former President Moon Jae-in and his wife visited the memorial altar and paid their respects.

On April 3, former President Moon Jae-in and former First Lady Kim Jung-sook visited the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park to pay tribute to the victims of Jeju 4·3. This is the first time a former president has visited the park on the memorial day. Moon also left a comment about agitation of the Jeju 4·3 movement, which has been attempted by conservative groups that distort what was discovered through the investigation of the truth about Jeju 4·3. “It is very deplorable and heartbreaking that some still insult the victims even amid the government’s strenuous efforts to resolve Jeju 4·3,” he stated. He also expressed his determination to stand with the Jeju people with his heart and soul until the wounds and scars which are left are completely healed.

 

 

Remarks by President Yoon Suk-yeol at the 75th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony in Honor of Jeju 4·3 Victims

We will do our utmost to restore honor to the Jeju 4·3 victims and their families, mindful of the pain and agony that the surviving victims suffered.

My fellow citizens, surviving victims of Jeju 4·3, families of the deceased victims, and Jeju residents,

The Republic of Korea is a free, democratic country.

Undoubtedly, a liberal democratic country that values freedom and human rights legitimately should pay respects to the innocent victims of Jeju 4·3 and to work with the citizens to soothe the torment of the bereaved families with the people.

We will do our utmost to restore honor to the Jeju 4·3 victims and their families, mindful of the pain and agony that the surviving victims suffered.

The way to truly honor the victims and their bereaved families is to create a Republic of Korea where freedom and human rights bloom, and to achieve greater prosperity here in Jeju based on the universal value of the spirit of liberal democracy.

The responsibility lies with me, the government, and my fellow citizens.

Previously, I vowed to transform Jeju into a cultural tourism destination with magnificent nature, culture, and history, which would be South Korea’s jewel-like province where clean nature and cutting-edge technology coexist.

We will spare no support from the government so that it can be reborn as a classy cultural tourism destination where not only Koreans but also people from around the world can broaden their knowledge.

Today’s era is the era of content. We will actively encourage top digital companies specializing in information technologies and semiconductor design to make achievements in Jeju and attract talented personnel from around the world to the province.

Surviving victims of Jeju 4·3, families of the deceased victims, and Jeju residents,

My promise to be united with the whole nation to warmly embrace the souls of the innocent victims remains unchanged.

We will make our best efforts to work with you to usher Jeju into a new future by sublimating the values of freedom and human rights that you have cherished.

I pray for the rest of the victims, and I also offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families.

 

April 3, 2023

Yoon Suk-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea

 

 

 

 

 

Remarks by Governor Oh Young-hoon at the 75th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony in Honor of Jeju 4·3 Victims

We will not be swayed by attempts to disparage or distort the truth of Jeju 4·3, but will expand the spirit of “reconciliation, mutual prosperity, peace and human rights” into the universal values for humanity.

Respectful surviving victims of Jeju 4·3, families of the deceased victims, and my beloved Jeju residents and compatriots,

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Jeju 4·3.

The tragic event in contemporary Korean history has become the standard for rectifying the dark past, and is now moving toward a new future of reconciliation and co-prosperity, overcoming the painful history.

The first state compensation for Jeju 4·3 victims made last year was a turning point in resolving the nation’s past history issues. The exoneration of victims through ex-officio retrials has been significant in that the judiciary took the lead in redressing the nation’s past wrongdoings. Continued efforts are also being made to correct inaccurately recorded family relations registers. I would like to thank the bereaved families and Jeju residents who never gave up truth and justice and all those who comforted and accompanied us in healing our pain so that we could welcome the “spring of Jeju 4·3.”

My respected fellow citizens,

We should now go beyond the outdated ideological framework and create a brilliant future for the Republic of Korea.

Jeju will become the spearhead for the Jeju 4·3 spirit of reconciliation and mutual prosperity pursued by peace-loving Koreans to brighten the beacon of hope for the world. In the era where peace is more urgent than ever, we will stand in the vanguard of peace for the global village by establishing the “Global Peace Cities Solidarity” institution with cities in the Asia-Pacific region.

The efforts will begin with the globalization of the Jeju 4·3 model, the world’s unprecedented best-practice case of resolving past history issues. We will push forward the inscription of the documentary heritage related to Jeju 4·3 on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, while opening the “road to peace’ by completing the Peace and Human Rights Charter and the Trauma Indicators.

As a historic establishment of academia, we will open master’s and doctoral degree programs in Jeju 4·3 studies at local universities. We will also share the values of Jeju 4·3 at the Jeju Forum that is slated to be held in May, drawing solidarity from like-minded others.

Above all, we will not be swayed by attempts to disparage or distort the truth of Jeju 4·3, but will expand the spirit of “reconciliation, mutual prosperity, peace and human rights” into the universal values for humanity.

Please join us on our vigorous journey to become one of the axes of world peace. In April, when every mountain and stream is covered with fresh greenery, I think of those who closed their eyes against their will with their loved ones left behind. We, their descendants, will achieve peace and prosperity on this land, which the deceased victims hoped for.

May the souls of the victims rest in peace, letting go of unresolved sorrow and resentment. Thank you.

 

April 3, 2023

Oh Young-hoon, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province