Professor Baek Hoon-gi of Mokwon University Presents 'Negotiation 1948' on the Background of the Jeju 4·3 Incident

'Negotiation 1948' poster. Provided by Mokwon University

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The original play "Negotiation 1948," based on the true story of the peace negotiations during the Jeju 4·3 Incident, will be staged in Daehangno.

Mokwon University announced on the 17th that the play "Negotiation 1948," written and directed by Professor Baek Hoon-gi of the Department of Theater, Film, and Video, will open from the 10th to the 19th of next month at Art One Theater 2 in Daehangno, Seoul.

The play "Negotiation 1948" reconstructs the peace negotiations between the military and armed groups during the Jeju 4·3 Incident. Professor Baek infused the hearts of Jeju residents who witnessed the tense negotiations at the time into the work.

Since its premiere last year, the play has been officially invited to the "4·3 Peace and Human Rights Madanggeuk Festival" and the "East Asian People's Theater Festival," gaining recognition for its artistic value. This year, following a performance in Jeju on the 22nd of this month, it is scheduled to be performed in Daejeon and Suncheon, Jeollanam-do.

Professor Baek said, "The Jeju 4·3 Incident is a painful part of our history where the demands of Jeju residents to eliminate Japanese colonial rule and establish a unified independent nation were crushed by state violence, resulting in countless victims. It is a topic that more people need to know about and discuss extensively."

He added, "I hope this work, which confronts a heartbreaking history, becomes a mirror reflecting today's society. I also hope many people will reflect on peace through this play."

Meanwhile, the Jeju 4·3 Incident refers to the event in which tens of thousands of residents were sacrificed during the suppression of a popular uprising triggered by the armed rebellion of the South Korean Workers' Party Jeju Provincial Party opposing the establishment of a separate South Korean government in 1948 and the coercion by the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK).

At that time, about 350 armed members under the South Korean Workers' Party Jeju Provincial Party launched an armed uprising on April 3, 1948, opposing the establishment of a separate South Korean government in Jeju. The US military government mobilized the military, police, and the Northwest Youth Association (a right-wing organization) to suppress the uprising.

It is estimated that about 30,000 residents, roughly one-tenth of Jeju's population, were sacrificed by September 1954 due to this incident.

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