Opening of the 'Jeju 4·3 Trauma Center' to Heal Victims of State Violence

Providing Integrated Trauma Healing Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The 'Jeju 4·3 Trauma Center' for victims and bereaved families suffering from psychological trauma caused by state violence will open at 11 a.m. on the 6th at the Narakeum Jeju Complex Government Building in Jeju City.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 6th that, recognizing the need for a specialized healing institution for trauma recovery of victims of state violence, it has been conducting a state violence trauma healing support project in the Gwangju and Jeju areas since this year to prioritize healing activities for elderly surviving victims and bereaved families even before the establishment of a specialized institution.

According to the Ministry, there are about 18,000 trauma healing subjects including surviving victims and bereaved families of the Jeju 4·3 Incident, with 39.1% of surviving victims and 11.1% of bereaved families considered to be in the high-risk group for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The center plans to provide healing and rehabilitation services by referring to the operational status of foreign organizations supporting victims of state violence such as Denmark's Anti-Torture Association 'DIGNITY', the U.S. 'Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)', and Israel's 'AMCHA'.

Programs such as individual and group counseling, psychological education, art therapy, physical therapy, traditional Korean medicine treatment, and physical rehabilitation will be operated, and in the long term, investigations and research related to state violence trauma will also be promoted.

The Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation will operate the center. Eight staff members, including the center director, Professor Jung Young-eun of Jeju National University’s Department of Psychiatry, mental health nurses, social workers, and physical therapists, will work there. The center will also support not only surviving victims and bereaved families of the Jeju 4·3 Incident but also victims related to other past incidents.

Lee Jae-gwan, Director of Local Autonomy and Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Although it is somewhat late, I hope that the healing activities of the Jeju 4·3 Trauma Center will provide help and comfort to victims and bereaved families, and furthermore become an opportunity for reconciliation and coexistence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.