Ceremony held to mark Jeju Uprising, but Yoon absent

Some 15,000 people gathered at a memorial park on Jeju Island on Monday to commemorate the April 3 Uprising, when tens of thousands of civilians were killed protesting the division of Korea following the country's liberation from Japan.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, right, greets a relative of a victim of the April 3 Jeju Uprising at Jeju 4.3 Peace Park on Jeju Island before attending a memorial service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the massacre. [YONHAP]

Some 15,000 people gathered at a memorial park on Jeju Island on Monday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the April 3 Uprising, when tens of thousands of civilians were killed protesting the division of Korea following the country's liberation from Japanese colonialism.

Right-leaning President Yoon Suk Yeol, who attended last year's memorial ceremony soon after he was elected president, did not attend this year's event.

The highest-ranking government official to attend this year was Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Other high-ranking attendees included Han Chang-seop, acting minister of the interior and safety; Won Hee-ryong, minister of land, infrastructure and transport; and Song Doo-hwan, chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.

The liberal Democratic Party (DP) held a Supreme Council meeting presided over by DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung near the memorial venue before the ceremony and attended the event afterward.

The April 3 Uprising, also known as the Jeju Massacre, started on March 1, 1947, after Korea gained independence from Japanese imperialism, and lasted until Sept. 21, 1954, following the Korean War.

Jeju islanders who opposed the establishment of a separate government and wished to unify with the Soviet-controlled northern part of the peninsula took to the streets to oppose an election that was scheduled for May 10, 1948, in the U.S.-controlled southern part of Korea, which would confirm the division.

April 3, 1948 was widely considered the official beginning of the Jeju Uprising, when nearly 350 rebels attacked 12 police stations, political opponents and their families, igniting mass insurgence.

In 2020, a government fact-finding committee said that 25,000 to 30,000 people were estimated to have died during the crackdown, wiping out about a tenth of Jeju's entire population at the time.

"I still stand by my promise to warmly embrace the souls of the innocent victims" of the April 3 Uprising, Yoon told the crowd in Monday's ceremony at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park through a letter that was read by Prime Minister Han.

"I will do my best to sublimate the values of freedom and human rights that you have cherished and open up a new future for Jeju," the letter continued.

Yoon stressed that his administration will do its best to restore the honor of the victims and their surviving families, and not forget the pain and suffering of the surviving victims.

"The true way to honor the victims and their families is to create a country where freedom and human rights flourish, and where Jeju becomes more prosperous based on universal values and the spirit of democracy," he said.

In separate remarks, Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun said Jeju will become a "beacon of hope" for the world with its "spirit of reconciliation and co-prosperity."

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the DP, denounced Yoon and the leadership of his People Power Party (PPP) for failing to show up at the memorial ceremony on Monday, saying they would probably show up in next year's event to gain political points ahead of the general elections.

BY CHOI CHOONG-IL, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]