Do you know about the Jeju April 3rd Incident? The day’s memories, stained with blood and tears, must never be erased. It might be better not to expose memories of that day because the parties’ wounded hearts could become far worse. But if we don’t continuously expose the memories, there is a worry that they may be forgotten. Although they are very sad, we have to dig out the wound caused by the incident. The Islander would like to express our condolences to the victims and surviving families of the Jeju April 3rd Incident.


What is the Jeju April 3rd Incident?


On March 1, 1947, a ceremony commemorating the 28th anniversary of the 1919 Independence Movement of Korea was held in the vicinity of Jejubuk Elementary School. About 30,000 people participated in the event. Among them leftists were scattered, carrying protest banners against suppression by the U.S. Army, the local police and right-wing associations.

 Mounted police were called in to disperse the crowd, and at some point a child was trampled to death by horses. Angry marchers then chased after the police with stones, while the police retaliated by firing on the crowd. Six people were killed and six were injured.

 Subsequently, the marchers demanded an apology from the police for excessive use of force, but the police, under the control of the U. S. Military Government, insisted that they only act for self-defense. This drove the protesters to insurgency.

 On March 10, they went on strike against the shootings. However, the government in Seoul in consultation with the U.S. Army dispatched more military police. The Northwest Youth Association, a right-wing paramilitary group, joined the crackdown on residents. It made conflict between the government in Seoul, the U.S Military and the residents deeper.

 Finally, on April 3, 1948, armed insurgents attacked 12 police substations. In order to put down the uprising—later called the 'April 3rd Incident'-the U.S. military government established the Command Office for the Emergency in Jeju on April 5th of the same year. It directed the government in Seoul to block coastal areas and mobilize a large contingent of South Korean forces from each province, including military soldiers, police and members of the Northwest Youth Association.

 Earlier UN resolution 112 called for elections to be held in the South. Many people did not support an election in only one part of the country since the lack of agreement would effectively guarantee the division of the nation. The South Korean election on May 10 and the June 23 reelection failed in Jeju because of poor voter turnout. In response, President Rhee Syng –man’s government proclaimed martial law in secret on November 17 in the name of excluding the haunt of armed insurgents. It lasted for a month, with guerrilla forces camped in Mt. Halla and government forces occupying the coastal towns. Hundreds of residents were killed in the crossfire and many thousands lost their homes and livelihoods.

 The Incident actually claimed a tremendous number of people, with the number of dead estimated as high as 30,000. It lasted for six years and six month until September 21, 1954, when the entire range of Mt. Halla was declared free of insurgents.

 After a long period of silence, in which successive governments forbid discussion of the Incident, facts began to emerge in the decade 1998-2008 when Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun were in office. However, the history of April 3 is not completely free from the shade enclosing it. The April 3rd Incident remains forgotten history because of people's lack of knowledge and concern.


Then, where are we with the incident?

 

 "Have you ever heard about the Jeju April 3rd Incident?" "How do you know about the Incident?" The Islander asked one-hundred students in JNU these questions from July 7-8 of this year. A total of 61 students responded that they had heard of April 3 but didn’t know about the details. 40 out of the 61 students said that they had no chance to learn about it, and 12 of students responded that the situations  are too difficult for them to understand. 9students answered that they were unconcerned about it.

 "If students don't attend the lecture entitled Understanding about Jeju April 3rd Incident, they can not know about it," said Lee Jin-yong (Dept. of Telecommunication Engineering, sophomore)

 Every April, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province holds the Memorial Service for Jeju Incident for appeasing its victims. In addition, many schools in Jeju provide students with opportunity for observing the incident.

 JNU encourages students to learn about the incident by providing the cyber lecture Understanding about Jeju Incident. It covers the background, process and conception of Jeju Incident. However, these activities are just one-off events. It is sad that students do not have adequate information because of the limited number of lecture about the Jeju April 3rd Incident.

 Now, we should mourn for victims of the Jeju April 3rd Incident but many don’t know about it fully. What is the better ways to promote the issue about the Jeju April 3rd Incident?

 

▲ Professor Yoo Chul-in


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Interview with Yoo Chul-in, Professor, Dept. of Philosophy)

 

1. What do you think of the result of the survey as a professor teaching about the Incident through the lecture Understanding about Jeju Incident?

More students are learning about it than I expected. The number of students who enrolled in my lecture are 660, but I think only 30% of them really understand the Incident. The problem is the rest, the 70%. Most of them apply for this lecture to get a good grade, so the story of the Incident remains obscure.

 Personally, I hope that other lectures related to the Incident will be introduced. Then it will be good for students who regard it as difficult and boring history to have a different perspective.


2. What advice do you want to give students in JNU?

Many students think it is a difficult thing. Then, how about thinking of it as the story of your grandparents? It is important for students to approach the historical truth in a personal way and they should think of themselves as leaders who will lead Jeju in the future.


To heal a wound, 'don't wrap it up but expose it to the air.' The history of Jeju April 3rd Incident is not an exception to this rule. The people who live with wounded minds from it do not need to hide it. Also we should mourn the victims; it is our responsibility and duty.

   

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