What is the Jeju 4.3 incident?

Jeju 4.3 occurred under the U.S Military Government and was a tragic incident that recorded the second most human deaths after the Korean War. However the Korean government hasn’t investigated and revealed the facts of the case for more than 50 years. Jeju people filed civil complaints about this, and on Dec. 1, 2000, Jeju 4. 3 Special Law was enacted and proclaimed and government started its investigation.

 

The background of the case is complicated, so one factor is not the only explanation for Jeju 4. 3. As a strategic location of Northeast Asian countries, Jeju changed into a strategic base where 60,000 Japanese soldiers were stationed to interrupt the landing of the U.S. military. Right after the war, the population of Jeju changed rapidly because of the withdrawal of Japanese troops and return of 60 thousands Jeju people. Contrary to the expectation of independence, there were social problems such as unemployment, commodity shortages, cholera and severe crop failure, while failure of rice policy and profiteering of officials stood out as problems. In this atmosphere, the government was gradually alienated from the people when a shooting happened on Mar. 1, 1947. In this case, police shot at the demonstrators, six of them died and eight were severely injured. Most victims were ordinary people. This shooting gave rise to Jeju 4. 3.

 

 As of the shooting, there was an armed uprising of the Namro party against the suppression of the police and under the banner of objection to exclusive election and government on Apr. 3, 1948, Until Halla Mountain was opened completely on Sep. 21, 1954, a lot of people were victimized in the process of armed crashes and raids.

 

Governmental authority broke the law and killed ordinary people even the young and the old. There was no judicial process. That was on error and violation of human rights. Government should remember Jeju 4. 3 and learn a lesson from this not to make this tragedy happen again. In particular, the government should console the victims and the families of the deceased and recover their honor.

 

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