Lee Jae-myung Returns to 4·3 Peace Park... "Statute of Limitations for State Violence Crimes Must Be Permanently Excluded"

Visiting Jeju 4·3 Peace Park After 6 Months
Promising Party Responsibility While Criticizing 'State Violence Crimes'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, visited the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park on the 4th to pay respects. It has been about six months since he last visited this place during his presidential campaign. On this day, Lee stated, "State violence crimes must never happen again on this land," advocating for the permanent exclusion of the statute of limitations.

Lee visited the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park in the morning, paying respects at the memorial altar and touring the spirit tablet repository. Joining him in the visit were his 'running mates' Park Chan-dae, a Supreme Council member candidate, and candidates Seo Young-kyo and Jang Kyung-tae. After the visit, he told reporters, "The power entrusted by the people to protect their safety and lives must never be used to harm the people. No matter how much time passes, the truth must be uncovered, and corresponding responsibility must be held accountable," adding, "Regarding state violence crimes, the statute of limitations should be permanently excluded so that the truth can be thoroughly investigated at any time, and corresponding civil and criminal responsibilities must be enforced."

Regarding the controversy over ideological verification by the prosecution during the special retrial process for 68 victims of the 4·3 incident, he said, "It seems the prosecution's attitude has changed since the regime changed," and added, "Attempting ideological verification decades after the victims suffered injustice is a clear historical regression and must never happen again. The party will take special interest and ensure such incidents do not recur." In the guestbook, he emphasized, "The Democratic Party will take full responsibility for the complete restoration of honor and thorough investigation of the Jeju 4.3 incident."

After passing the cut-off, Lee has been raising the tone of his remarks, criticizing the government and ruling party on issues such as lowering the elementary school entrance age and tax cuts for the 'super-rich.' At the same time, he appears to be responding directly to concerns about his 'judicial risks.' The day before, when reports surfaced that a witness who died during an investigation related to allegations of misuse of corporate cards by his spouse Kim Hye-kyung worked as a driver for Lee's campaign, Lee's side refuted, saying, "The person who drove Kim's vehicle was a volunteer well known to her, a different individual." At a press conference on the same day, he also rebutted, saying, "I have been investigated for various matters for over ten years as if dusting off, but there is no fact to support these allegations."

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