Kim Byung-min: "Do Not Use the Pain of April 3 Victims as a Political Tool"

"Politicians' Remarks Should Not Hurt the Bereaved Families' Feelings"

Kim Byung-min, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, commented on the Democratic Party of Korea's criticism regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's absence from the Jeju 4·3 Victims Memorial Ceremony, saying, "Please refrain from using the pain and sorrow of the bereaved families as a subject for political strife."

On the 3rd, Kim appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' and said, "President Yoon attended last year as a president-elect and once again expressed his firm intention to fully resolve the 4·3 issue (such as restoring the honor of the victims), which he promised during the election period."

Kim added, "Looking at past attendance by sitting presidents at the memorial ceremony, former President Roh Moo-hyun attended once in 2006, and former President Moon Jae-in attended three times," and said, "It is practically impossible to attend every year during a five-year term in office."

He also mentioned that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would attend the memorial ceremony on behalf of President Yoon to convey the government's will and message. Prime Minister Han and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong are scheduled to attend the ceremony. From the People Power Party leadership, Supreme Council Member Kim, Policy Committee Chairman Park Dae-chul, and Secretary-General Lee Cheol-gyu will attend.

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, and Joo Ho-young, floor leader, along with other leadership members, are observing a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Jeju 4·3 incident during the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 3rd.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding Tae Yong-ho, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, who mentioned the 'Kim Il-sung facility related to the 4·3 Incident,' Kim emphasized, "Today is a day to commemorate Jeju 4·3 and soothe the pain of the bereaved families, so there should be no remarks by politicians that would reopen the wounds of the bereaved today."

Kim continued, "I understand that during today's People Power Party Supreme Council meeting, there will be efforts to empathize with the pain of Jeju 4·3, and Representative Tae will definitely join this stance of the People Power Party." Tae attended the party's Supreme Council meeting instead of the 4·3 memorial ceremony.

Regarding the Democratic Party's criticism, Kim pointed out, "Even though it is not a matter of neglecting or abandoning specific issues, if these matters are all brought up one by one and used as elements of political strife, the Democratic Party will be criticized for neglecting the issues that need to be resolved and instead exploiting the painful wounds of the bereaved for political purposes."

Earlier, the Democratic Party criticized President Yoon and the ruling party leadership for not attending the memorial ceremony. Park Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a press conference on the 2nd, "The pain of 4·3 has not yet ended," and added, "To embrace that pain, former President Moon Jae-in plans to visit Jeju even as a former president. Is the current president going to ignore the pain of Jeju that a former president embraces? Please answer."

He also criticized the ruling party, saying, "Moreover, all major figures of the ruling party, including Representative Kim Ki-hyun, are reportedly not attending the 4·3 memorial ceremony," and said, "It is outrageous that they emphasized during the election that they would tirelessly heal Jeju's pain and work for the restoration of honor, yet they even avoid attending the memorial ceremony."

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