First Former President to Visit Jeju on April 3 Remembrance Day
Third Attendance, Emphasizing April 3 Special Act Amendments
Former President Moon Jae-in visited Jeju on the 3rd and stated, "While many efforts are being made at the government level to resolve the 4·3 issue, it is very regrettable and heartbreaking that acts insulting the 4·3 victims are still occurring."
On the afternoon of the 75th anniversary of the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Day, after paying respects at the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park with First Lady Kim Jung-sook, former President Moon told reporters, "Complete healing of 4·3 is the true path to reconciliation and integration."
He said, "This is the first memorial ceremony held under the Moon Jae-in administration with the revision of the 4·3 Special Act enabling special retrials and compensation. Also, due to COVID-19 social distancing over the past three years, there were many restrictions on holding proper events, but today, free from such restrictions, it is very meaningful that many residents are participating in the memorial ceremony."
He continued, "During my term, I promised to attend the 4·3 memorial ceremony at least once every two years, but last year, my final year in office, I could not attend properly because the president-elect attended the ceremony. I am very honored and feel fulfilled to attend the memorial ceremony today."
Former President Moon said, "Once again, I deeply mourn the souls of the 4·3 martyrs and will wholeheartedly stand with the complete healing of the 4·3 victims going forward."
However, he did not respond to questions regarding his stance on President Yoon Suk-yeol's absence from the memorial ceremony.
With this visit, former President Moon became the first ex-president to visit Jeju on the 4·3 Memorial Day. During his tenure, he attended the memorial ceremony three times in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
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