In Jeju April 3 Incident, 30,000 Dead or Missing

The National Commission on the Jeju April 3 incident adopted Saturday a report stating that while authorities put down a rebellion by some militant socialists belonging to the Jeju branch of the South Korean Workers’ Party, many civilians were killed without reason.

The report by the prime minister-led commission estimated that in that incident, as many as 25,000 to 30,000 people died. Those whose death was reported to the commission reached 10,428.

This is the first time that the government released an official report since the Jeju April 3 incident occurring 55 years ago.

According to the report, in the 9th Brigade’s quelling of the rebellion, which started in November 1948, more than 95% of mountain townships, where many militants were thought to be hiding, were set on fire and many townspeople perished. And the 2nd Brigade, which entered the island following the 9th Brigade, killed many residents without trial.

The report found that soldiers of the 2nd Brigade shot to death as many as 400 townspeople in the town Bukchon. Even army authorities acknowledged the crackdown went too far, a member of the commission said.

Earlier this month, members of the commission’s investigation team submitted a seven-point recommendation to the commission, which called for the president’s apology to victims; designation of April as a day for cherishing the memory of the dead; the government’s provision of financial support to victims, etc.

The National Commission on the Jeju April 3 incident decided to adopt the report at a plenary session but it will change some words in the first draft. The revised report is scheduled to be out late next month.

And if new findings are disclosed before September this year, those findings will be added to the report after deliberation by the commission.

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae is said to have decided to review the idea that the president make an apology on April 3. An official at Cheong Wa Dae said, “In that the commission already adopted a report at a plenary session on Saturday, the report can be revised when new findings are disclosed until late September, we are reconsidering the president’s apology.” The official added that they planned to discuss whether the president would make an apology in place of the government, or the prime minister would express his condolences to victims and bereaved families and report on the commission’s fact-finding process.

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