In the wake of the South Korean government's efforts to discover the truth about the April Third Jeju Incident that began 71 years ago today,... a commemoration ceremony took place earlier on Korea's southern island.
In a speech at the April Third Peace Park,... Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said,.... over the span of seven years... some 30-thousand people,..... ten percent of Jeju's entire population at the time,..... were killed after being labeled communists, and survivors were forced to stay silent about it for over 50 years.
Casting light on the distorted history as the then-government banned the public from even discussing it...., Lee said,... thanks to authors and poets, the truth came to light with the opening of the era of democracy in 2000.
He added,... Jeju epitomizes forgiveness and reconciliation before the world.
President Moon Jae-in also tweeted that a complete resolution of the Jeju Incident is the pathway to national unity.
He pledged to continue efforts to discover the truth and regain the honor and dignity of the victims through compensation and the establishment of trauma recovery centers.