Jeju 4·3 Prisoner Victims, Over 2,000 Acquitted Through Ex Officio Retrial
The honor of the prisoner victims who unjustly suffered during the Jeju 4·3 Incident is being restored over 70 years later.
On the 27th, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced that, as a result of ex officio retrials concerning military and general court prisoners related to the Jeju 4·3 Incident, a total of 2,033 individuals have been acquitted thus far.
Out of these, 1,711 were from military trials and 322 from general trials, and they have finally been cleared of their unjust charges after more than 70 years.
Efforts to restore the honor of the 4·3 prisoners are ongoing. This year alone, retrials for a total of 2,171 individuals, including 199, have been requested, and acquittals continue to occur steadily.
In particular, on the 8th, the Jeju District Court acquitted all 60 general trial prisoners, bringing the number of acquittals this year to 170.
A noteworthy case is that of survivor prisoner A, born in 1933. Having been categorized as a victim but not officially recognized, A left their hometown after the 4·3 Incident and has been living on the mainland. Considering A's advanced age and health condition, the court conducted the retrial at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, rather than in Jeju.
Jeju Province is focused on identifying survivors among general trial prisoners who have been classified as victims. They plan to strengthen efforts to confirm survival status to ensure that living prisoners can restore their honor as soon as possible.
Kim In-young, the head of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Administrative Office, stated, "The acquittal of the 4·3 prisoners is a historic decision that resolves the grievances of those who have endured over 70 years of suffering, along with their families. We will do our utmost to ensure that no one is left out in the speedy execution of ex officio retrials for the restoration of honor for the 4·3 victims and their families."
Meanwhile, those who were wrongfully accused during the Jeju 4·3 Incident and imprisoned through illegal military trials (military courts) are referred to as "Jeju 4·3 Prisoner Victims."
They are distinguished as general trial prisoner victims and military trial prisoner victims based on whether they were sentenced in general courts or military courts.
The prosecution has been working since 2022 to restore the honor of these victims through ex officio retrials.
Image source: The appearance of plaintiffs shedding tears after being acquitted during the decision-making and sentencing trial for the 2021 Jeju 4·3 Prisoner Military Trial Retrial case / News1, reference photos for better understanding of the article / News1
