Jeju massacres

Jeju island has been the stage for many massacres over the years. The biggest and most well known was the Jeju Uprising of April 3, 1948:

Between 14,000 and 30,000 individuals were killed in fighting between various factions on the island. The suppression of rebellion by the South Korean army has been called “brutal”, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of many villages on the island, and sparking rebellions on the Korean mainland.

This past Friday was the anniversary of the massacre and there was an afternoon ceremony held in Jeju-si to mark the occasion. Not long after the first massacre, there was another incident during the Korean War:

On August 30, 1950, according to a written order by a senior intelligence officer in the South Korean Navy instructed Jeju's police to "execute all those in groups C and D by firing squad no later than September 6."

In March 1950, North Korea sent thousands of armed insurgents to resuscitate the guerrilla fighting on Jeju, but by this time the South Korean army had become particularly adept at counterinsurgency and quashed the new insurgency in only a few weeks.

Another not-so well known massacre is the Catholic massacre of 1901. Brian and I had heard about there being a cemetery on the island for the 300 or so Catholics that were killed, but had no idea where it was. Well thanks to Jim Saunders, we were able to arrange a guided tour from a priest the weekend before last.

Turns out the cemetery was actually moved to a new location, just outside of Jeju-si. We all met up at City Hall in Jeju-si and then took a car out to the cemetery together.



The entrance is very quaint, with a paved walkway and cherry blossoms decorating it. About a twenty metre walk and it opens up to hundreds of graves arranged row by row. They're kind of a cross between traditional Catholic graves and Jeju graves, having a somewhat rectangular and convex shape to them.



Thanks to some translating and research by Jim, there is a summary of the event:

In 1901, events came to a head when a combination of local politics, increased taxes, hostility toward the missionaries and their faith, and international intrigue led to a full-fledged revolt by native islanders and Confucian landlords, led by a native-born magistrate and backed by the Japanese, against the head tax collector sent from the mainland and Jeju’s Catholic community (who supported the tax collector), backed by the French. Native forces sieged and eventually took Jeju Fortress, slaughtering some 300 Catholics.

At the end of the paved walkway is a massive altar with what looks like a Jeju grave in the center, surrounded by angelic statues on either side. I've been told that there are even some bishops buried in the cemetery, and that if any Jeju Catholic priests desire so, they can be buried there as well.

Jim has also informed me that there is movie about the event, 이재수의 난 (The Uprising, 1999). I've been told it's nothing special, but uses many scenic locations from Jeju, including Abu Oreum.



Jim, with the priest and another friend, walked throughout the cemetery, learning of its history, while Brian and I took pictures and video of the site. Behind the altar is a large wooden cross; it's almost hidden by the nearby trees.



We probably couldn't have gone at a better time, the cherry trees and spring weather made for a great setting.



Once we had finished our tour, we got back into the car and headed back into town. Since it was so nice out, we decided to take advantage of the weather and get dropped off at Samseonghyeol.