The Massacres at Mt. Halla: Sixty Years of Truth Seeking in South Korea

by Hun Joon Kim

In The Massacres at Mt. Halla , Hun Joon Kim presents a compelling story of state violence, human rights advocacy, and transitional justice in South Korea since 1947. The "Jeju 4.3 events" were a series of armed uprisings and counterinsurgency actions that occurred between 1947 and 1954 in the rugged landscape around Mt. Halla in Jeju Province, South Korea. The counterinsurgency strategy was extremely brutal, involving mass arrests and detentions, forced relocations, torture, indiscriminate killings, and many large-scale massacres of civilians. The conflict resulted in an estimated thirty thousand deaths―about 10 percent of the total population of Jeju Province in 1947. News of this enormous loss of life was carefully suppressed until the success of the 1987 June Democracy Movement. After concisely detailing the events of Jeju 4.3, Kim traces the grassroots advocacy campaign that ultimately resulted in the creation of a truth commission with a threefold to investigate what happened in Jeju, to identify the victims, and to restore the honor of those victims. Although an official report was issued in 2003, resulting in an official apology from President Roh Moo Hyun (the first presidential apology for the abuse of state power in South Korea’s history), the commission’s work continues to this day. It has long been believed that truth commissions are most likely to be established immediately after a democratic transition, as a result of a power game involving old and new elites. Kim tells a different he emphasizes the importance of sixty years of local activist work and the long history of truth’s suppression.

Genres: History

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of both the 4.3 Jeju incident itself, as well as a study of over a half century attempt to bring about truth and real reconciliation/reparations for the victims, extolling the political back and forth as efforts to secure memorialization and public acknowledgement grew.

[Vladimir · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative book about how significant historical events were dealt with by decades of right-wing and authoritarian Korean political regimes. The book is structured as a thesis dealing with how truth commissions in Korea (especially the 1948-49 Jeju Massacre) come to fruition and what impact they can have on society on large. Although it recalls some details about the events, the book is not a recollection of the even per say. Thus while it provides a useful and detailed reference on decades of Korean politics it would be interesting to hear more accounts. Regardless, it's a must read for those interested in modern Korean politics.