Why the Jeju Neglect Debate Arises Over the April 3rd Event Without President Yoon's Attendance

'Disappointment Over Attendance at First Conservative President Memorial Ceremony'
"Do Not Use as Political Controversy... Please Respect Yoon Government's Intent"

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, did not attend the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony, sparking a 'Jeju neglect theory' both inside and outside the political sphere. The criticism seems to be heating up as the president and party leadership both expressed their intention to be absent from the memorial ceremony shortly after lawmaker Tae Young-ho's controversial remark about the 'Jeju 4·3 Kim Il-sung instigation theory' during the People Power Party leadership election process.

President Yoon decided not to attend the 75th Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony on the morning of the 3rd. A presidential office official stated, "President Yoon attended last year as president-elect, and there was consideration about whether it was appropriate to attend the same event every year," adding, "This year, it was judged appropriate for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to attend."

Party leader Kim Ki-hyun and floor leader Joo Ho-young, among other ruling party leaders, also did not attend the memorial ceremony due to internal party schedules. Instead, Kim Byung-min, Supreme Council member, Park Dae-chul, Policy Committee chairman, and Lee Cheol-gyu, Secretary-General, decided to attend the ceremony.

This memorial ceremony had raised expectations as it would be the first attendance of a conservative party-affiliated president at the 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony. Former President Roh Moo-hyun attended the 4·3 Memorial Service in 2006 as the first head of state to officially apologize and pay respects, and President Moon Jae-in attended the Jeju 4·3 memorial ceremony three times during his term in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye did not attend the ceremony.

However, President Yoon attended last year's 74th memorial ceremony as the first conservative party-affiliated president-elect. At that time, he promised, "We will strive for the full restoration of honor for the 4·3 victims and their bereaved families," and added, "The state will responsibly comfort the lives and pains of surviving victims and bereaved families who have endured difficult times."

On April 3rd last year, Yoon Seok-yeol, then President-elect, delivered a memorial address at the 74th 4.3 Victims Memorial Ceremony held at Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. Photo by the Transition Team Press Corps

Jeju Governor Oh Young-hoon expressed regret over the absence of the president and ruling party leadership. On the 3rd, during MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Governor Oh said, "Recently, messages from far-right groups and conservative parties that belittle the 4·3 incident, such as banners, have been continuously appearing, which is very worrisome," adding, "If President Yoon had attended today, these issues might have been resolved, so it is regrettable that he did not."

Governor Oh continued, "It is also concerning that the People Power Party leader and floor leader are not attending today, as this could send a message that the conservative approach to 4·3 on their side is correct."

Recently, banners belittling the 4·3 incident have been hung throughout Jeju, angering residents. Governor Oh sees lawmaker Tae as the catalyst for these distorted claims. He said, "It was triggered during the Supreme Council member election process by lawmaker Tae," and added, "A new conservative attack on the resolution of past issues has begun."

Last month, lawmaker Tae Young-ho faced criticism after claiming on social media that "the Jeju 4·3 incident was instigated by the North Korean Kim Il-sung family."

On the morning of the 3rd, the 75th anniversary of the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Day, bereaved families visited the memorial stone for the missing persons at the Jeju 4·3 Peace Park in Bonggae-dong, Jeju City, to pay their respects.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The People Power Party argues that the absence of the president and party leadership was due to scheduling issues and that raising the 'Jeju neglect theory' is inappropriate. They emphasize that President Yoon's commitment to restoring the honor of the 4·3 victims remains unchanged.

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Hae-jin explained on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that "It is impossible to visit every historically important site, and attending the same place every year is actually unreasonable," adding, "Efforts to revisit other historical sites and reconsider the government's responsibilities should also be made elsewhere."

Lawmaker Cho added, "If he attended last year as president-elect, it is meaningful for the prime minister to attend this time on behalf of the president, and the president, as the incumbent, will have opportunities to attend again."

Supreme Council member Kim Byung-min said on YTN Radio's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon' that "Prime Minister Han will deliver a message on behalf of President Yoon regarding the intentions and will of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration," and urged, "Please refrain from using historical issues and the pain and sorrow of bereaved families as political tools." He also emphasized, "What is important is how the Yoon Suk-yeol administration approaches the resolution of the Jeju 4·3 issue with meaning and will through today's memorial ceremony."

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