List of 1,715 Jeju Massacre Victims Unveiled

The government officially announced yesterday the list of 1,175 Jeju residents confirmed to have been killed by the authorities during an anti-Communist purge, better known as the` Apr. 3 Jeju Incident` from 1947 to 1948. The decision was reached nearly three years after the government enacted a special law in January 2000, aiming to restore the honor of the deceased.

The National Commission on the Jeju April 3 Incident, headed by Prime Minister Kim Suk-soo, produced the first list of 1,715 people who died or disappeared. The list of the victims contained the names of 415 women and 1,300 men. Bodies of 242 were never found, and 104 were under the age of 10, officials said.

The government has screened about 14,028 people, whose names were turned in between June 2000 and May 2001 in accordance with the special act.

While no cash compensation is likely for the victims’ families, the commission will enshrine the bodies of the victims at the `Apr. 3 Peace Park`, whose construction is completed late in the next year and restore their honor through various memorial projects.

Prime Minister Kim said that he hoped the decision would provide an opportunity to uphold national solidarity and human rights in the nation.

He also said that the government would exert efforts to reveal the truth behind the incident, restore honor of the victims and to accelerate the construction of a park to be established in memory of the deceased.

The government plans to complete the screening by December 2004 by holding the commission meeting on a quarterly basis starting from next year..

Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com