Jeju 4·3 Incident Follow-up Investigations Report I (English) [사료]
Published: December 2019 · Publisher: Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation
Translation supported by: Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC)
Chairman: Yang Jo-hun · Reviewer: Prof. Seo Jung-seok
English translation of the 추가진상조사보고서. Published alongside the Korean version in December 2019 and released as a PDF on July 31, 2020. The Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation conducted follow-up investigations over five years (2015–2019), covering 165 villages in 12 towns across Jeju.
Relation to 2003 Report
The 2003 진상조사보고서 provided the “overview (총론)” of 4·3 damage; this Follow-up Report provides “specific details (각론).” It re-examined testimonies and documents from the 2003 investigation, cross-checked newly obtained data, and conducted on-site investigations when new facts were found.
Key Findings (English Source)
- Officially confirmed victims: 14,442 (including 209 additionally confirmed) as of 2019
- Officially confirmed bereaved families: 72,845 (including 13,428 additionally confirmed)
- Single village highest casualties: Noheung-ri, 538 victims (2019 figure)
- Remains discovered: 405 (since 2006); 133 identified via DNA analysis
- Education sector casualties: 700 persons (271 teachers + 429 students); 93 schools damaged
- Military/police/rightist groups: 1,091 persons (162 military, 289 police, 640 rightist groups)
Key Passages
On the relationship between the 2003 and 2019 reports: “While the Jeju 4·3 Incident Investigation Report provides an overview of the damage caused by the incident, the follow-up investigations shed light on the specific details of the damage.”
On the population scale: “In the whirlwind of ideological conflict that lasted for seven years and seven months, ten percent of Jeju’s total population were sacrificed. Thirty thousand innocent civilians lost their lives.”
On the retrial of 2019: “18 surviving victims who were convicted in relation to the 4·3 Incident” received a court decision acknowledging “the wrongdoing committed by the state.”
On US responsibility: the Foundation planned to “conduct investigations into information available within and outside Korea, including records completed and maintained by the United States.”
Transitional Justice Framing
The English report presents the same two-stage transitional justice framework as the Korean version:
- Stage 1 (achieved): Truth investigation, restoration of honor, state apology, national commemoration
- Stage 2 (ongoing as of 2019): State reparations, annulment of illegal trials, justice in practice