Oh Young-hoon: "Jeju 4·3, Will Resolve Remaining Issues Until the End"

Attendance at Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony, Praying for the Spirits' Rest and Consoling Bereaved Families

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Oh Young-hoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who announced his candidacy for the Jeju Governor election, said on the 3rd, "I will take full responsibility for and resolve the remaining tasks of Jeju 4·3."

Photo by Office of Assemblyman Oh Young-hoon

On the same day, Oh attended the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony in the morning, and after offering flowers and incense, he visited the 'Jin Ah-young Grandmother's Residence' in Woljeong-ri, Hanjeong-eup, Jeju City in the afternoon. He said, "We will not forget the lives and deaths of the 4·3 aftereffects victims and will carry on the spirit of 4·3 together with the residents."

The late Jin Ah-young grandmother was shot in the jaw by the military-police suppression unit in 1949, the year following the 4·3 Incident, and suffered from severe difficulties in speaking and eating. Until her death at the age of ninety in 2004, she lived with her jaw wrapped in white muslin cloth and was known as the 'Muslin Cloth Grandmother,' a victim of 4·3 aftereffects.

At the event, Oh said, "When I think of Jin Ah-young grandmother, who wrapped her jaw with white muslin cloth, tears come to my eyes recalling the lives and deaths of countless aftereffects victims who had to remind themselves 'If you live, you live' despite their deep sorrow and pain. I will never forget, no, I cannot forget."

He added, "To heal the mental and physical suffering of the 4·3 aftereffects victims, I will fulfill my role and responsibility to ensure that no marginalized victims or bereaved families are left behind, including promoting the elevation of the Trauma Center to a national center."

He also stated, "We will prepare measures to systematically preserve and manage 4·3 historic sites, such as promoting the purchase of this place by the national and local governments to utilize it as a 4·3 history education center," emphasizing, "I will continue to take full responsibility for and resolve the remaining tasks as a problem solver of 4·3."