The final version of the Jeju 4·3 Special Act to be decided today... to be processed within this extraordinary session of the National Assembly

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Democratic Party of Korea finalized consultations with the government on the full revision bill of the Jeju 4·3 Special Act on the 18th and promised to process it within this extraordinary session of the National Assembly.

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, “Consultations between the government and the party regarding the revision bill have been completed.”

Lee emphasized that the main issues have been settled, saying, “The party and government have reached a final agreement to include a provision in the revision bill to seek special support such as consolation payments for those recognized as victims and to make efforts to establish necessary standards.”

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

He continued, “The Special Act is one of the remaining tasks of the Democratic Party’s justice legislation to heal the past and move toward the future,” expressing strong determination by saying, “We will definitely process it in this extraordinary session.”

Since the 4·3 Special Act is the party’s official stance and Lee’s determination to pass it is strong, the Democratic Party is expected to put all its efforts into the bill’s passage. At the on-site Supreme Council meeting held at Jeju 4·3 Park on the 18th of last month, Lee also said, “We will devote all our efforts to uncovering the truth and restoring honor until the residents of Jeju say it is enough.”

Although related bills have been continuously proposed mainly by lawmakers representing Jeju, they have repeatedly failed to pass the National Assembly. The Special Act under discussion this time was introduced by Democratic Party lawmaker Oh Young-hoon, a bereaved family member of the 4·3 incident. However, last month, at the bill subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Administration and Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over the matter, disagreements with the government over compensation and reparations caused another obstacle. The revision bill includes a clause that sets the scope of compensation and reparations by presidential decree and provides for the payment of compensation. In response, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance expressed reluctance about the scale of compensation, stating, “Considering other past compensation issues and national finances, caution is necessary.”

In response, the party and government have continued behind-the-scenes negotiations. A Democratic Party official said, “There have been ongoing behind-the-scenes party-government consultations, and some consensus has been reached this time,” adding, “The detailed contents of the bill will be created after the briefing session.”

After the Supreme Council meeting, Lee will hold a briefing session to finalize the bill. At this briefing, the party, government, and Blue House will explain the discussion process, passage procedures, and schedule of the Special Act revision bill, which is in its final stages, to the 4·3 Bereaved Families Association and listen to their positions.

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