Expectations Rise for 'Jeju 4·3 Records' to Be Inscribed as UNESCO Memory of the World Heritage

A total of 13,673 records submitted
Final decision to be made at the Executive Board in April

As the Jeju 4·3 records are expected to be inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, anticipation is growing within the Jeju community regarding the final decision on the inscription, which will be made next month.

According to UNESCO on the 19th, the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for the Memory of the World recently recommended the inscription of the "Jeju 4·3 Incident Records" during its meeting. The final decision will be made at the UNESCO Executive Board meeting held from the 2nd to the 17th of next month.

On the afternoon of the 16th (local time), the exhibition "Records of Truth and Reconciliation, Jeju 4·3 Archive" was held at the Brunswick Art Gallery in London, UK. Photo by Yonhap News

The name of the records on the application is "Revealing the Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archive," which includes a total of 14,673 records related to the Jeju 4·3 Incident. These consist of various documents and trial records created by public institutions at the time, as well as books, postcards, booklets, videos, and audio materials.

Jeju Province and the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation have devoted great effort since 2018 to inscribe the 4·3 records on the Memory of the World Register. After more than six years of collecting and cataloging the 4·3 records, holding symposiums, and expert reviews, the records were selected as a domestic candidate in October 2023 following three reviews by the Korean Committee for the Memory of the World. In November of the same year, the application was submitted to UNESCO.

Efforts to build international consensus have also continued. In September last year, Jeju Province held special exhibitions and symposiums in Germany and the United Kingdom to promote the inscription of the 4·3 records on the Memory of the World Register. Notably, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Literature to author Han Kang, who wrote the novel "I Do Not Say Goodbye" based on the 4·3 Incident, in October last year provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the incident overseas, further increasing expectations for the inscription.

Jeju Province stated, "If the final inscription is successful, we expect that the historical significance of 4·3 and the values of peace and human rights will be internationally recognized."