文대통령 "제주 4•3 배•보상 계속 노력…국회, 특별법 개정 당부"
South Korea remembers the tens of thousands of people killed on Jeju Island some 70 years ago today when the authorities cracked down on civilian protests.
Known officially as the April 3rd Jeju Incident, President Moon Jae-in vowed efforts to restore the honor of the victims of the incident.
Our Kim Mok-yeon reports.
President Moon Jae-in has pledged every effort to compensate the victims of the April 3rd Jeju Incident and their families.
Speaking Friday at the annual memorial ceremony, President Moon stressed the importance of uncovering the truth about the April 3 incident, claiming that regardless of the political divide, the country has a duty to restore the honor of the victims based on the facts.
To do that, he called for joint efforts with the National Assembly to pass a revised act on the Jeju April 3rd Incident.
"We'll continue efforts to ensure that substantive compensation is provided as part of basic justice. I urge the National Assembly to pay special heed to the revised special act on the Jeju April 3rd Incident."
The pending bill, submitted in late 2017, calls for the victims and their families to receive financial compensation and for the atrocities to be investigated further.
Friday's ceremony, held at the Jeju April 3rd Peace Park, has was scaled down from previous years by a factor of a hundred because of the coronavirus outbreak. It was attended by roughly 1-hundred-50 people mostly families of the victims, politicians and related civic groups.
The South Korean President took the podium to express gratitude to the residents of Jeju, who despite their unhealed scars showed solidarity and cooperation in overcoming COVID-19.
"Jeju residents have sent masks and financial support to the hardest hit areas of Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and their efforts have become a role model for other regional governments."
This was the second time Moon has attended the ceremony as president, and he was the first sitting leader to do so.
In his speech two years ago, Moon again expressed a strong determination to completely resolve questions surrounding the incident.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.
