Chairman Woo Won-sik: "Resumption of the Yeosun Incident Investigation Within This Year"

First Attendance of National Assembly Speaker at Yeosun Incident Memorial Ceremony
"Ideological Stigma, Suppression of Personal Freedom... Fostering Hostility"
"If Used as a Tool for National Division, It Becomes a Current Problem"

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik said on the 19th, "I apologize for the delay in the amendment of the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 Incident Special Act," and added, "I will take action to ensure that the fact-finding and restoration of honor are not halted."

Speaker Woo Won-shik. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the same day, Woo attended the 76th joint memorial ceremony for the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident held in Boseong, Jeollanam-do, stating, "The Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, along with the Jeju 4·3 Incident, is one of the most painful and unfortunate histories in our modern history, and the truth has yet to be uncovered."

This is the first time a Speaker of the National Assembly has attended the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident memorial ceremony.

Woo said, "The government must also take a more active role. The state must fulfill its responsibility to investigate the damages and sacrifices caused by public authority and must not back down," and requested, "Please clearly provide the necessary measures and support for the fact-finding investigation."

With the fact-finding investigation period under the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Special Act having ended earlier this month, a bill to extend the investigation period has been submitted to the National Assembly.

Furthermore, Woo emphasized, "As long as ideological stigmatization is used as a tool to suppress individual dignity and freedom, incite hatred and hostility, and divide the people, the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident is not a matter of the past but of the present and future."

He continued, "We must fully uncover the truth and restore the honor of the victims," adding, "We need to restore the distorted and buried history and move toward the path of truth and reconciliation."

Before the memorial ceremony, Woo paid respects at the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident Victims' Memorial Monument and said, "I will do my best to ensure that the fact-finding investigation of the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident can resume within this year."

The day before, Woo held a dinner meeting with the bereaved families of the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident in Yeosu and then attended the memorial ceremony eve event.