Walden Korea/43FAU holds its first Jeju 4.3 Massacre commemoration

At Harvard Faculty Club and New York Academy

GROUP PHOTO following the .Jeju 4.3 Retrospective and Commemoration at Harvard Faculty Club, April 1, 2022.

The journey of a thousand miles does begin with a single step. Today, that step was taken. For the first time on American soil (to the best of my knowledge), an event was held to bring awareness to a dark chapter in history: the Jeju Island Massacres.

The site where countless words of learning have been spoken for hundreds of years, Harvard University was the perfect backdrop for the words that began to bring light to the travesty of the Jeju Island Massacre seventy years ago. The Jeju April 3 Victims Memorial Ceremony was held at the Harvard Faculty Club on April 1st. The list of local speakers carried weight, but with humility and empathy: Professor David McCann of Harvard University, Professor Edward Baker of Harvard University, Professor Sung-Yoon Lee of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Ms. Suyeon Yang, Chairwoman of the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S.

Professor Edward Baker of Harvard University

Professor David McCann of Harvard University

Each speaker held a brush to paint together a moving yet troubling portrait. Professor Baker began by showing that the United States bears culpability in this terrible chapter of Korean history. A history not long ago, yet so easily forgotten. Next, Dr. McCann spoke of the terrible pain of the victims as embedded through literature. But to know the victims' pain is only one part of the picture. Who could do such a thing? Who had the authority to carry out such a killing?

Dr. Lee, a renowned expert on U.S.-Korea relations, was direct and effective, calling on President Joe Biden to pay his respects at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park, a beautiful 88-acre sanctuary on Jeju Island that commemorates the victims of this great tragedy.

Professor Lee reminded Biden that his predecessor, President Barack Obama, visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in 2016. The Jeju Massacre victims should not remain invisible to the world any longer.

Suyeon Yang then brought vivid colors to the portrait. This isn' t just some event in the annals of history for her. It's personal. Ms. Yang shared how her father lost his own father and two ofhis brothers-her uncles-in this horrific massacre. In particular, she shared how this critical part of Korean history has long been suppressed by the state.

Speakers joining from South Korea via recorded videos included: Doh-ol Kim Young-ok, Im-jong Oh, Chairman of the Jeju 4.3 Free Families Association, Oh Kwang-hyeon, Chairman of the 4.3 Bereaved Family of Japan, Koh Hee-beom, Chairman of the 4·3 Peace Foundation, Heo Young-sun, Director of the 4·3 Research Institute, Oh Young-hoon, Member of the N ationalAssembly, and Professor Taek-Kwang Lee at Kyunghee University.

Dr. Doh-ol Kim Young-ok

Together they brought depth to the canvas, helping us understand the stark realities of what happened and how the painful past impacts the world today shocking realities of how power, ideology, and human nature can result in horrific outcomes.

The event was a combination of commemoration and short lectures hosted by Walden Korea, an academic and cultural platform, and the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. It brought together graduate students from both Tufts and Harvard, as well as researchers and those interested in Korean history, shedding a light on the gaps in knowledge of the complex history. It was a light that would never have been seen under the cover of silence and darkness.

The Salpuri dancer Kang Eun-Ju and Mr. Sungyoon Park

Further raising awareness on American soil, eight days later, on April 9th, a commemoration was held at the New York Academy in Bayside, New York. The service began with a screening of Jiseul: Unfinished Years 2, a film by director Oh Meuk depicting the story of Jeju 4.3. Ms. Yang followed with words that brought to light both facts and emotions.

A memorial poem, Poet Heo Young-sun's, "Before the Law;' was recited passionately by Jennifer Eun Joo Kim. The Salpuri dancer Kang Eun-Ju's moving dance was an appropriate finale to the commemoration of such a dark yet critical chapter in Korean history. Mr. Sungyoon Park artfully presided over the event as the master of ceremony. Due to Covid-19, only pre-registered people could attend in person. Many others participated online via Zoom.

Though only a first step, these two events are a critical first step in unveiling the truth and seeking reconciliation. There is no truth without awareness, and no awareness without effort. And no justice without the truth. Both Walden Korea and The Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association will continue to raise awareness on the tragic events of the Jeju Island Massacre and shed light on this very dark chapter. ■

WaldenKorea held its first strategic international forum

Professor David McCann, Harvard University

A the event, each member of the Walden Koea Planning Committee presented on the Jeju Massacre as a joint project. The main presentations were made by Professor David McCann at Harvard University, Professor Taek-Kwang Lee at Kyunghee University, Professor Sung-Yoon Lee at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Chairwoman Suyeon Yang of the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. Jeju 1948-49 and Thereafter:' McCann read Kim Yeong- Sook's poem "Jeongbang Waterfalls in Jeju Island" in the original Korean and discussed Jeongbang Falls, a major site of the massacre of Jeju residents. He also expounded on several other poems that address the tragedy of Jeju, including the poems "Every Memorial Stone" (by Lee Jong-Hyeong) ) and Ko Un's "Jeju Island Poet:' Professor Sung-Yoon Lee interpreted the massa- Professor David McCann, an expert on Korean lit- ere in Jeju Island in the context ofSyngman Rhee's erature who for many years taught at Harvard Univer- "messianic complex:' The primary culprit is Syngman sity, explained the 4.3 incidents from the perspective Rhee, the first president of South Korea, Lee asserted. of peace and human rights through Korean resistance Dr. Lee also argued that the U.S. military government literature under the theme of"Re-Placing Memory: is complicit in the 4.3 incidents.

Suyeon Yang, Chairwoman of the Jeju 4.3 Memo­rial and Families Association of the U.S., talked about the pain of families of the massacre's victims and dis­cussed the need for the United States to take respon­sibilityfor its role. Professor Taek-Kwang Lee placed the Jeju 4.3 Incident as the starting point of the Cold War on a global scale. He discussed ways to expand the discourse on the Jeju 4.3 Massacre from a parochial Korean issue into one with international implications.

Walden Korea plans to hold an international forum related to the Jeju 4.3 Massacre each year. ■

The Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. launched

On July 16, 2021, the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. was officially launched. Suyeon Yang, a journalist, is the Chairwoman. Young Jun Yang, a doctor of Oriental medicine in Washington D.C, serves as the vice-chairman. Ms. Yang was head of the preparation committee for the American branch of the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. Youjo- Jeju 4.3 Massacre and wearing a camellia badge:' Offering his congratulations, Mr. Won added, "It is only the start in our effort to inform the world of the truth of the Jeju 4.3 Massacre and to share the values of justice and human rights:' Assemblyman Oh Young-hoon remarked, "2021 is a meaningful year in which all the special laws for the investigation of the truth of the Jeju 4.3 ung Kim (Yuna Kim), who is working on a doctoral thesis related to the Jeju 4.3 Massacre at the Johns Hopkins Universityin the United States, will serve as the secretary-general.

The Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association, represented by the families of the Jeju 4.3 survivors, serves as the headquarter to resolve the issues involving the 4.3 incident in the United States. The association seeks to promote the discovery of the bereaved families of immigrants and the 4.3 victims in order to achieve the following: the restoration of honor, 4.3 truth investigation, solidarity and expansion, and education for the next generation.

The launching ceremony was held on July 16, 2021, as an online live (Zoom) session due to the pandemic.

In her inaugural address, Chairwoman Suyeon Yang said, "It's been a longtime since we left our homeland, but our 4.3 bereaved families will never forget the Jeju Massacre even when they come to America:' Jeju Provincial Governor Won Hee-ryong followed up, stating, "Now in Korea, everyone is talking about the Jeju 4.3 Massacre and wearing a camellia badge:' Offering his congratulations, Mr. Won added, "It is only the start in our effort to inform the world of the truth of the Jeju 4.3 Massacre and to share the values of justice and human rights:' Assemblyman Oh Young-hoon remarked, "2021 is a meaningful year in which all the special laws for the investigation of the truth of the Jeju 4.3 Massacre and the restoration of honor were revised:' Oh Im-jong, chairman of the Jeju 4.3 Bereaved Association, spoke of his hopes for the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S: "To hold the U.S. accountable and to create a world where peace and human rights are alive is to comfort the heroic spirits who have been unfairly sacrificed:'Yang Jo-hoon, chairman oftheJeju4.3 Peace Foundation, reminded all of the importance of the mission: "The Jeju 4.3 Incident occurred during the U.S. Military Government, and the U.S. military advisors intervened positively and negatively during the suppression process. The timing of the launch of the Jeju 4.3 Memorial and Families Association of the U.S. is important. I expect our efforts to seek the truth and reconciliation in both South Korea and the U.S. to gain speed:' Chairwoman Yang also launched Walden Korea, a non-profit international academic exchange organization that studies human rights and peace, recognizing the importance of education for the next generation. Walden Korea will research the Jeju 4.3 Massacre and conduct seminars on the subject and other human rights issues. It appointed the Walden Korea Planning Committee undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. and Korea, including students from Boston College, Johns Hopkins, Northeastern, Brandeis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Stud­ies, Kyunghee University, and Sogang University. The launch ceremony was sponsored by the Memorial Committee for the Jeju April 3rd Uprising and Mas­sacre and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. ■