Towards a Universal Model of Reconciliation: The Case of the Jeju 4.3 Incident

Abstract:In April 1948, what began as an uprising on Jeju Island against US military occupation turned into a full-scale massacre by government suppression forces that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Jeju residents. For many decades, under the anticommunist and authoritarian South Korean government, the truth of what became known as the Jeju 4.3 Incident was not investigated and the victims went unrecognized. With democratization, a remarkable transformation took place as a government-sponsored commission was established to establish the truth about the massacre and to recognize the victims. In this process, the civilians of Jeju played both a major and magnanimous role that sought to determine the truth and commemorate the victims but not to seek retribution. As a result, Jeju's identity has undergone a dramatic change as it has come to be known as a place synonymous with forgiveness, peace, human rights, and reconciliation. The people of Jeju are now forging a remarkable path towards truth, reconciliation, and coexistence that may be referred to as the "'Jeju model." This paper firmly argues that this Jeju model should not be limited to Jeju but be extended to South Korea, the whole Korean Peninsula, East Asia, and even beyond as a way of healing past trauma and wrongdoing.