Starting Legislation on Historical Issues... Following 4·3, the Yeosun Incident as Well

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Democratic Party of Korea has initiated the legislative process for amendments to laws related to past incidents. Following the amendment to the Jeju 4·3 Incident Special Act on the 27th, the Democratic Party proposed an amendment to the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident (Yeosun Incident) Special Act on the 28th. Both bills were originally introduced during the 20th National Assembly but were automatically discarded due to the expiration of the assembly's term.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The 4·3 Special Act, primarily proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Oh Young-hoon (Jeju-si Eul) on the 27th, includes provisions such as ▲establishment of a victim reception and reporting office ▲conducting additional fact-finding investigations ▲compensation for victims ▲and the establishment of a trauma healing center. The contentious issues of invalidating military trials and deleting criminal records were also included.

Unlike the bill introduced in the 20th National Assembly, this amendment clearly presents national-level compensation standards. The amendment states, “The amount (of compensation) shall be calculated based on the average amount of consolation money or compensation awarded by court rulings to victims and bereaved families of civilian mass casualty incidents occurring around the Korean War.” A total of 136 lawmakers, including 126 from the Democratic Party and opposition party members, signed this special act. It is also reported that Hwang Bo Seung-hee, a member of the United Future Party whose maternal family is from Jeju, signed the bill.

The Yeosun Incident Special Act, primarily proposed by lawmaker So Byung-chul (Jeonnam Suncheon·Gwangyang·Gokseong·Gurye Gap), centers on ▲establishing a committee for fact-finding and restoring the honor of victims ▲providing medical support funds and living support funds to victims or their families ▲and excluding the statute of limitations on claims for damages.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, regarding the contentious issue of compensation for civilian victims and military/police victims in the Yeosun Incident Special Act, the bill was finalized in a way that excludes military and police victims.

On the afternoon of the same day, lawmaker So held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, “The amendment is the Democratic Party lawmakers’ will and promise to correct the painful twists in our history and to no longer delay resolving issues related to past incidents.” The bill was signed by 152 Democratic Party lawmakers. It is also reported that Jeonnam region lawmakers who prepared the bill alongside So, including Joo Cheol-hyun, Kim Hoe-jae, Seo Dong-yong, and Kim Seung-nam, are considering promoting this special act as a party policy.

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