'Police Hero' Late Chief Mun Hyeong-sun Buried at National Jeju Memorial Cemetery

Police hero the late Chief Mun Hyeong-sun, who saved over 100 residents during the Jeju 4·3 Incident, was laid to rest on the 10th at the National Jeju Memorial Cemetery located in Odeung-dong, Jeju City.

Chief Mun is a police hero who saved more than 100 residents of Daejeong-eup during the Jeju 4·3 Incident in 1949, and in 1950, he refused to carry out orders to execute military preemptive detainees, saving 278 lives.

He was also an independence activist active in the Manchuria region during the Japanese colonial period. However, after retiring from the police in 1953, he spent a lonely old age without children and passed away in 1966 at Jeju Provincial Hospital. He was buried in the Cemetery for Residents from the Five Northern Provinces.

Police hero the late Chief Moon Hyung-soon, who saved about 100 residents during the Jeju 4·3 Incident, was buried on the 10th at the National Jeju Patriots and Veterans Cemetery located in Odeung-dong, Jeju City.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

The National Police Agency has pursued national merit awards for Chief Mun six times, including once during his lifetime (in 1963), based on his independence movement record, but the awards were repeatedly postponed due to insufficient evidence.

Later, based on his police service during the Korean War, the national merit award was finally recognized last year, granting him the status of a national merit recipient and eligibility for burial in the national cemetery.

The burial ceremony was held with the attendance of Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency; Lee Chung-ho, Chief of Jeju Police Agency; Kim Ae-sook, Jeju Provincial Deputy Governor; key local officials; the Association of Residents from the Five Northern Provinces; the Jeju 4·3 Victims’ Families Association; the 4·3 Peace Foundation; and Kang Soon-joo, who was saved by Chief Mun’s decision during the 4·3 Incident.

In his eulogy, Commissioner Yoon said, “With Chief Mun’s national merit award and burial in the national cemetery, it feels like our police efforts have been rewarded, making this moment even more meaningful. The 140,000 police officers will steadfastly fulfill our mission to always protect the people, just like Chief Mun.”

Meanwhile, the National Police Agency holds a memorial ceremony every June 6 at the Police Memorial Park with the participation of bereaved families and veterans’ organizations to honor the spirits of police officers who sacrificed and dedicated their lives for the people.

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