"Lee Seungman is the mastermind behind the April 3 massacre... Stop the establishment of the memorial hall"

Joint Statement by 59 Organizations in Jeju
Claiming a "Historical Coup Attempt"

"Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon must halt the attempt to establish the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall, the mastermind behind the April 3 Massacre that claimed 30,000 victims."

When Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon recently expressed his intention to promote the construction of the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall, civic groups in Jeju strongly opposed it. On the 27th, 59 organizations in the province, including the Jeju April 3 Victims' Families Association, Jeju April 3 Research Institute, Jeju April 3 Residents' Solidarity, Jeju April 3 Memorial Project Association, and Jeju Residents' Autonomy Solidarity, issued a joint statement.

Bereaved families visiting the Memorial Tablet Enshrinement Room
Photo by Yonhap News

In the statement, they emphasized that the efforts to erect a statue of former President Syngman Rhee in front of the Korean Embassy in the United States and to build the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall are attempts at a "historical coup." They added, "Syngman Rhee is a figure who was ousted from history by the power of students and citizens who fought against dictatorship and rigged elections," and "The Constitution of the Republic of Korea clearly states that the spirit of the April 19 Revolution, which opposed injustice, is a history to be inherited. Syngman Rhee was the perpetrator of that injustice."

They further stated, "Who is Syngman Rhee? Even conceding a hundred times, he is nothing but a dictator and a figure who goes against the values of the Constitution," and "Syngman Rhee is a figure who was ousted from history by the power of students and citizens who fought against dictatorship and rigged elections."

They also sharpened their criticism by saying, "The Constitution of the Republic of Korea clearly states that the spirit of the April 19 Revolution, which opposed injustice, is a history to be inherited. Syngman Rhee was the perpetrator of that injustice." They continued, "Syngman Rhee is responsible for and the mastermind behind the Jeju April 3 Massacre. He was one of the main culprits of the Jeju April 3 Massacre, which resulted in at least 30,000 deaths due to so-called 'scorched earth operations' and 'illegal martial law.' Syngman Rhee was the overall person responsible for the massacre of hundreds of thousands of civilians during the Korean War," they condemned.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is taking photos at the '2024 F/W Seoul Fashion Week' held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 1st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

They also urged the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to stop the attempt to establish the Syngman Rhee statue in front of the Korean Embassy in the United States. They stated, "The promotion of the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall and statue is a denial of our country's democratic history," and "It must be clearly understood that this is a definite historical regression that brings shame to future generations."

Earlier, Mayor Oh expressed his intention to promote the construction of the Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall in the Open Songhyeon Green Plaza in Jongno-gu, Seoul, during the 322nd temporary session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council held on the 23rd.

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