On March 1, 1947, the 28th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement was commemorated with a major rally in Jeju. In Jeju-eup, following a ceremony at Buk Elementary School that concluded at 2 p.m., crowds took to the streets in a demonstration.
As the demonstrators passed through Gwandeokjeong and headed toward Seomun-dong, a child was injured by the hoof of a mounted police officer’s horse. When the officer continued on without tending to the child, the outraged crowd began throwing stones in protest. In response, armed police stationed near Gwandeokjeong opened fire on the crowd.
Six civilians were killed in the shooting. The incident, known as the “March 1 Incident,” ignited widespread unrest in a community that had previously remained relatively calm. It later came to be known as the spark that triggered the Jeju 4·3 Incident.
In protest of the March 1 shooting, a rare joint general strike involving both public officials and private citizens began on March 10, 1947. The United States, which administered Korea through its military government at the time, labeled Jeju as a “Red Island.” In response, large numbers of police reinforcements were dispatched from the mainland, and members of the far-right Northwest Youth Association (Seobuk Cheongnyeonhoe) began arriving on the island, gradually taking control of police stations, administrative offices, and schools.
Under the pretense of hunting communists, they committed acts of terror that fueled public outrage—ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the 4·3 Incident.
Meanwhile, the Korean Peninsula was on the brink of division. The South Korean Labor Party’s Jeju branch, responding to the public’s discontent and opposition to the May 10 unilateral elections, launched an armed uprising under the banners of resisting state repression and rejecting the division of the nation.
In the early hours of April 3, 1948, at around 2 a.m., signal fires lit up the slopes of Mount Halla. This marked the beginning of an organized uprising led by the South Korean Labor Party’s Jeju Committee. Approximately 350 armed fighters attacked 12 police substations and homes of far-right activists, including members of the Northwest Youth Association.
(Source: Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation)
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A quiet hillside arrest. A missing teenager. A fragment of a report, dated August 17, 1994, offers little more than this: “Took refuge in a mountain near the village, was captured by military police forces, later disappeared while imprisoned on the mainland.” The boy’s name was Yang Byung-in. He was 17.
Decades later, his family recorded their memory in a victim’s report as part of South Korea’s long, painful reckoning with the Jeju 4·3 Incident — one of the most tragic chapters of the nation’s modern history.
On the morning of April 2, one day before the 77th anniversary of the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Day, a bereaved family member pays tribute to the spirit of a missing victim at a memorial stone in the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City.
Now, that reckoning is on the world stage. From April 9 to 15, an exhibition in Paris will spotlight the archives of the Jeju 4·3 Incident as South Korea seeks UNESCO’s recognition of the records as part of the Memory of the World Register.
Hosted at the Korean Pavilion of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, the exhibit is organized by South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, with support from the Cultural Heritage Administration.
Timed to coincide with UNESCO’s upcoming decision on inscription — expected late on April 9 or early April 10, Korea time — the exhibit features selected replicas from the 14,673 official documents submitted: court records, government correspondence, postcards, booklets, and more. The materials document the origins of the conflict, its brutal suppression, and the state’s long-delayed efforts to uncover the truth and restore dignity to its victims.
“This is a moment to reflect on the roots of the Jeju 4·3 Incident, the long path toward historical truth, and the broader message of reconciliation and peace,” a Jeju provincial official said.
“I Do Not Bid You Farewell” by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang is a literary work that explores the tragedy of the Jeju 4·3 Incident.
The Jeju 4·3 Incident refers to a series of events beginning on March 1, 1947, and culminating in a violent uprising on April 3, 1948. Suppression efforts continued until September 21, 1954.
What began as a protest following police gunfire at a March 1st Independence Movement commemoration spiraled into years of armed conflict and indiscriminate crackdowns by government forces. Thousands of civilians were killed, disappeared, or imprisoned.
The Paris exhibition offers an immersive look at this history, including a 1949 prison postcard, the 1994 victim report, and findings from the government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Chronological panels guide visitors through key events, and documentary screenings deepen the experience.
The Jeju 4·3 Incident was a tragic event in which approximately 30,000 people—about one-tenth of Jeju Island’s population—lost their lives. Author Hyun Ki-young, who brought the tragedy to public attention through his novel Uncle Suni, was subjected to severe torture under the military regime at the time. Reflecting on the origins of his work, Hyun once said that it was not courage that compelled him to write, but rather the spirits of the victims of 4·3 who commanded him to do so.
The photo shows Hyun Ki-young offering incense at a memorial ceremony for victims in Bukchon Village, the setting of Uncle Suni.
Korean literature that helped break the silence around 4·3 also features prominently. Hyun Ki-young’s “Uncle Suni” (1978), the first major literary work to openly address the incident during the military regime, is on display alongside “I Do Not Bid You Farewell” by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang. Korean originals are exhibited alongside their English and French translations.
The Jeju 4·3 archives are considered strong candidates for UNESCO recognition. In a recent meeting, the International Advisory Committee for UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program recommended the inclusion of both the Jeju 4·3 documents and South Korea’s reforestation records.
A final vote by UNESCO’s Executive Board is expected soon. A Korean delegation, including victims’ families, peace foundation members, and Hyun Ki-young himself, will be in Paris to witness the outcome.
If accepted, the listing would not only elevate global awareness of the Jeju 4·3 Incident but also underscore the power of archives in preserving truth and healing collective memory — even eight decades after the silence began.
Image credit: Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, The Korea Heritage Service, The Korean Cultural Center in France, Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
