[Exclusive] Former President Moon Jae-in Plans Separate Afternoon Visit for Jeju 4·3 Memorial Day

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This year, as President Yoon Suk-yeol is absent from the Jeju 4·3 Memorial Ceremony, former President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to visit the 4·3 Peace Park separately after the official morning event, drawing various political interpretations regarding Moon's actions.

According to the Jeju 4·3 Bereaved Families Association on the 25th, former President Moon is expected to visit the 4·3 Peace Park in the afternoon on April 3rd to pay respects at the memorial foundation.

The Bereaved Families Association and others have received this information and are preparing accordingly. Although there has been no official notice of a meeting with the bereaved families after the memorial visit, preparations are underway in case a request is made on the day.

A banner stating "The Jeju 4.3 Incident is a Kim Il-sung Communist Riot" is hung in Jeju Island.

This year's 75th anniversary 4·3 Memorial Ceremony will begin with a pre-ceremony ritual at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 11:30 a.m. Former President Moon's visit to the memorial tower on April 3rd, in the absence of the sitting president, is expected to fuel the recent ideological controversy surrounding 4·3.

On the 7th, the Jeju 4·3 Bereaved Families Association requested President Yoon to attend the memorial ceremony to put an end to ideological attacks related to 4·3 and to lead the nation toward unity and harmony. President Yoon attended the 4·3 Memorial Ceremony last year as a president-elect, but due to a concentration of overseas visits in March and April, he will not attend this year’s ceremony due to state affairs, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will attend instead, as was announced to Jeju Province on the 15th.

Subsequently, Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon also requested the president’s attendance again, but it was ultimately canceled. This has led to criticism that "the president’s absence from the 4·3 event betrays the wishes of the bereaved families."

Earlier, the People Power Party’s national convention was disrupted by lawmaker Tae Young-ho’s remark about ‘4·3 being directed by Kim Il-sung,’ causing turmoil within Jeju. Additionally, banners stating ‘Jeju 4·3 Communist Riot’ were posted in over 80 locations, prompting Governor Oh, the provincial assembly chairman, and the superintendent of education to issue a statement condemning the distortion of 4·3. In response, some civic groups have argued, ‘Why should claims of Jeju 4·3 being a communist party riot be punished?’ continuing the ideological debate.

President Yoon Suk-yeol paying respects at the April 3rd Memorial Tower during his time as the People Power Party's presidential candidate.

Amid this ideological controversy, some conservatives argue that "former President Moon’s decision not to send a wreath on ‘West Sea Defense Day’ held the day before, yet visiting the memorial tower on Jeju 4·3 Memorial Day, further divides the people rather than uniting them as a former national leader should."

Meanwhile, amid these ideological disputes, the Bereaved Families Association and Jeju residents who care about 4·3 have voiced hopes that "Jeju’s pain and sorrow should not be used as a tool for political gain," focusing attention on former President Moon Jae-in’s upcoming visit.

Jeju = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won yjm3070@asiae.co.kr