단상斷想

The Reality of State Violence and the Task of Historical Reconciliation

Thinking about April 3, 1948.... I would like to look squarely at the essence and meaning of the Jeju April 3 Uprising. The Jeju April 3 Uprising is a clear massacre committed by state power, and an event that comprehensively shows the process of ideological conflict on the Korean Peninsula immediately after liberation leading to a national tragedy. In this incident, the brutal violence of the Northwest Youth Association and the state's systematic massacre clearly reveal the reality of anti-human state terror caused by the division system. The Jeju April 3 Uprising is a representative example of anti-human rights state violence in which state power defined its own people as enemies and massacred them mercilessly, and represents the most terrible wound in our nation's history. The facts revealed through decades of meticulous research and painful testimonies of survivors are clear. This incident was by no means a left-wing riot, but a systematic massacre by the state. In the past, the Syngman Rhee regime and military dictatorships distorted this as a riot by the South Korean Labor Party, but this was a blatant historical manipulation to conceal state violence. The mass massacre of civilians and the indiscriminate violence of state power are the essence of this tragedy, and the thorough destruction of the Jeju regional community and the large-scale massacre of people revealed in the process of investigating the truth are evidence of the anti-human criminal acts committed by the state.

In the chaotic political situation immediately after liberation, the May 10th separate election opposition movement launched by the Jeju islanders was a legitimate resistance against the national division by foreign powers. However, the US military government and the Syngman Rhee regime distorted this as a riot by communists and committed systematic massacres by injecting the Northwest Youth Association, a far-right terrorist group. In particular, the Northwest Youth Association, mainly composed of landowners who had lost their property and vested interests due to land reform in North Korea, committed brutal torture and massacres against the Jeju islanders based on extreme ideological madness. This was not simply an excessive crackdown, but a thoroughly planned massacre. Jeju 4.3 led to additional state violence during the Korean War under the pretext of 'Partisan Suppression', and even public discussion was thoroughly prohibited for more than 50 years. The Syngman Rhee regime thoroughly suppressed the investigation into the truth of the incident by mobilizing the National Security Law, a tool of dictatorship, and the victims had to endure social exclusion and discrimination with the stigma of 'reds' until the military dictatorship of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan. This state-led distortion of history means systematic oppression of national history, which was an extension of state violence that hindered true national reconciliation by institutionally concealing the trauma of fratricide.

The scorched-earth tactics deployed after the declaration of martial law in 1948 were a blatant act of mass murder by the state. This went beyond simply suppressing a rebellion and led to systematic terror that destroyed the very foundation of the ethnic community, resulting in the massacre of between 14,000 and 30,000 innocent residents, approximately 10% of the entire Jeju Island population. The fact that 84.4% of these killings were indiscriminately carried out by state institutions and far-right groups starkly reveals the brutal reality of state terrorism. The massacres committed according to the inhumane principle of 'If one person is suspicious, their family and the entire village are wiped out' must be recorded as the most shameful history of our nation, comparable to the Nazi extermination of Jews and the Rwandan genocide.

The enactment of the "Special Act on the Investigation of the Truth of the Jeju April 3 Incident and the Restoration of Honor of Victims" in 2000 and the official apology from the Roh Moo-hyun government in 2003 were only the first steps. Our society continues to ignore the clear historical condemnation and reflection on the direct involvement of the US military government, the anti-humanitarian atrocities of the Northwest Youth Association, and the legal and moral responsibility of the Syngman Rhee regime at the level of war crimes. True historical reconciliation requires clear accountability and compensation for state crimes, and this requires genuine reflection from the perpetrators and their descendants. In order for us to achieve true national reconciliation and healing of historical wounds, we must clearly recognize the anti-humanitarian violation of human dignity by state violence, beyond the narrow framework of left-right ideology. Jeju 4.3 is not a simple regional conflict, but a symbol of structural violence and massacre committed by the state caused by the division system, and reminds us of the universal lesson that no political ideology or goal can justify indiscriminate state terror against the same people.

This incident is not just a simple past event, but a living testament that exposes the brutal reality of state violence and its justification mechanisms. The lessons left by the Jeju 4.3 are clear. The state can at any time define its own people as internal enemies and exercise ruthless violence, and vigilance and resistance against this are essential conditions for democracy. Only through truth-finding, firm punishment of the perpetrators, and clear acknowledgment of responsibility by the state can the wounds be healed. The Jeju 4.3 incident was clearly revealed to be a planned massacre by the state, not a 'riot of the South Korean Labor Party'. In particular, extreme human rights violations such as torture, summary execution, and guilt-by-association were widely perpetrated under the leadership of the state, and the ultimate responsibility for this lies firmly with the Syngman Rhee regime and the US military government.

As a citizen who faces the truth of state violence, only when the historical truth of Jeju 4.3 is fully investigated, the perpetrators are clearly punished, and the victims receive just compensation, will we be able to overcome the deep wounds of division. True democracy and human rights cannot exist in a society that ignores the truth of history and evades responsibility for state violence. Only when the reality of state crimes is clearly acknowledged, and resolute punishment of the perpetrators and just compensation for the victims are achieved, will we be able to move towards true reconciliation and national unity. Jeju 4.3 was the people's resistance to state violence, and its victims were sacrifices for democracy and human rights. Hoping that the Constitutional Court will decide to dismiss Yoon Seok-yeol tomorrow.