Remains of Two April 3 Victims Returned to Families After Over 70 Years

Briefing Session on the Identification Results of Excavated Remains Held on the 24th

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation held a report meeting on the identification results of the remains of 4.3 victims at 2 p.m. on the 24th at the Peace Education Center within Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. Photo by Jeju Province

The remains of two victims of the Jeju 4.3 Incident have finally returned to their families after more than 70 years.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation held a briefing session at the Peace Education Center within the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park to report the identification results of the excavated remains of 4.3 victims.

The briefing was attended by bereaved families of the victims, Jeju Governor Oh Younghun, Jeju Provincial Council Chairman Lee Sangbong, Jeju Superintendent of Education Kim Kwangsoo, 4.3 Bereaved Families Association President Kim Changbeom, 4.3 Peace Foundation Chairman Kim Jongmin, and other related officials.

The victims whose identities were confirmed and who were reunited with their families were Kim Heesook, a victim of preemptive detention, and Kang Jungho, a soldier of the 9th Regiment. The identification was made by comparing the DNA of blood samples from 281 bereaved family members collected last year with the DNA of remains excavated at Jeju International Airport. After Dr. Cho Sohee of Seoul National University’s Department of Forensic Medicine reported the identification results, the two identified remains were handed over to their families.

The bereaved families, who were able to reunite with their loved ones, even if only through their remains after more than 70 years, attached name tags to the remains, offered flowers and incense, and held a memorial in honor of the victims, with tears in their eyes.

Kim Kwangik, the son of victim Kim Heesook, said, "Thank you for finding my father's remains and allowing us to build a grave for him in his hometown. Whenever I missed my father, I used to touch his name engraved on the stone at the Altteureu Airfield and cry out, but now I am happy to finally find him. Father, I love you."

Kang Junghoon, the nephew of victim Kang Jungho, said, "After more than 70 years, I can finally call the name of my uncle, which I dared not speak before. Although it is late, I feel that the spirits of my grandfather, grandmother, and my father's siblings, who were also sacrificed during the 4.3 Incident, can now be at peace as well."

Governor Oh Younghun, in his memorial address, said, "I pray for the repose of the souls who had to rest nameless for so many years. I offer words of comfort to each and every bereaved family member who spent endless years in tears, not knowing the fate of their loved ones."

He added, "Of the 417 remains excavated on the island, the identities of 272 have yet to be confirmed. We will do our utmost to identify all 4.3 victims so that they may return to their families and find eternal rest."

Meanwhile, the excavation of the remains of missing victims began in 2006 at Hwabukcheon in Hwabuk-dong, Jeju City (11 remains), followed by Jeju International Airport from 2007 to 2009 (388 remains), Gasi-ri in Pyoseon-myeon and eight other sites from 2010 to 2021 (12 remains), Donggwang-ri in Andeok-myeon in 2023 (2 remains), and Bongseong-ri in Aewol-eup in 2024 (4 remains), among other locations across the island.

Through these efforts, a total of 417 remains have been excavated, and 147 victims, including two excavated outside Jeju, have been identified so far.

Jeju Province and the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation plan to continue excavating remains and conducting DNA analysis of excavated remains this year as well.

Based on the first case of identification outside Jeju in 2023, they believe that among the remains buried at massacre sites such as Golryeonggol in Daejeon, the cobalt mine in Gyeongsan, and the Hwangbangsan area in Jeonju, there may also be victims of the 4.3 Incident. They plan to continue DNA analysis and comparison work to ensure that not a single victim is left unidentified.