Jeju April 3 Uprising archive added to UNESCO Memory of the World register

The archive chronicling the Jeju April 3 Uprising has been added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, recognized for its value as a unique archival resource that provides a comprehensive account of ideological confrontations, state-led violence and civilian genocide during the Cold War era.

The decision for the inscription of “Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives” was made on Thursday (local time) at the 221st session of UNESCO's Executive Board meeting in Paris. “Korea Reforestation Archives: A reforestation model achieved through public-private governance," the archive documenting Korea's afforestation project, was also added to the list.

"No words can describe how I feel now," Yang Sung-hong, 78, who lost his father and grandfather to the uprising and subsequent massacre, told The Korea Times. "I was two years old when it happened. I never met my dad. This is a great day."

The Jeju April 3 Uprising occurred in the turbulent years following Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. U.S. forces, which took control of the southern part of the peninsula, hired many pro-Japanese officials in key positions, triggering resentment in society. People were also discontent with the peninsula's division and upcoming presidential election in the South.

On Jeju Island, the resentment and discontent were felt deeply as people struggled with unemployment and hunger. On March 1, 1947, crowds gathered in parts of the island to commemorate the March 1 Independence Movement and to protest political conditions. They clashed with police forces, backed by the U.S., resulting in the deaths of six people, which paved the way for the uprising.

On April 3, 1948, local communist party members on the island led an attack on police stations and the police responded with violence.

In August 1948, Syngman Rhee was inaugurated as the first president of Korea. Soon after, he soon rolled out a full-scale suppression campaign and declared martial law on the island. Many islanders were forced to hide in the forests of Mount Halla, while police and military forces burned villages and killed innocent villagers in the name of rooting out protesters. The campaign continued throughout the Korean War and didn't end until 1954.

Yang's father wasn't not involved in the initial uprising on April 3 but was among those who protested afterwards. "My father graduated from college and was angry because he didn't have a job and didn't like to see Korea divided," Yang said.

His father went into hiding on Mount Halla and was caught in 1949. He was tried in a military court and imprisoned in Daejeon.

"That is the last official record that we have about my dad," Yang said. "Years later, my mom and I learned that my dad had been executed at the prison complex, along with 300 others, after the Korean War broke out in 1950."

His grandfather was detained for supplying grain to people hiding on Mount Halla and was executed at a prison in Gwangju.

For decades afterward, the local government in Jeju pressured people to stay silent about the uprising. Residents associated with the incident suffered discrimination, which Yang experienced firsthand.

"I wanted a government job, but I couldn't because of my dad and grandfather," Yang said, adding that he resented his family history for many years.

In 1999, nearly five decades later, things began to change.

A special bill was passed to investigate the uprising and offer compensation to victims. In 2003, then-President Roh Moo-hyun issued an official apology to the islanders.

According to the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation, the official death toll of the uprising is about 13,000, but the exact number of casualties is disputed.

"The number should be a lot bigger because so many people couldn't find their missing family members," Yang said. He estimates the death toll to be between 25,000 and 30,000.

The archives comprise a total of 14,673 items documenting the civilian massacres that occurred during the Jeju April 3 Uprising, as well as the decades-long process of uncovering the truth and achieving reconciliation.

The collection includes 27 military court prisoner lists and prison postcards, 14,601 testimonies from victims and bereaved families, 42 records of truth-finding efforts led by civic groups and three official government investigation reports.

Covering the period from March 1, 1947 to Sept. 21, 1954, the archives provide a detailed account of the roughly seven-year-long armed conflict centered on Jeju Island and the state’s violent suppression, making the collection historically valuable.

These records "highlight the universal importance of human rights and serve as a powerful example of how a community can confront a painful past with a commitment to healing, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence," according to the Korea Heritage Service.

With the two new additions, Korea now has 20 items on the Memory of the World Register, including "Hunmin Jeongeum Manuscript," "Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and Miscellaneous Buddhist Scriptures," "The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast 'Finding Dispersed Families'" and "Archives of the April 19 Revolution."