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.