제주평화연구원

Meaning and Future Task of 4•3-gil

  [caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] Kim Myung-man
Vice Chairman of the 4•3 Special Committee, Jeju Special Self-governing Province Council[/caption] On January 27, 2005, the South Korean government officially designated Jejudo Island as the “Island of World Peace.” One of the purposes was to transcend the tragedy of the April 3 incident to realize reconciliation and coexistence. It signifies that Jeju, one of the major islands in the Korean Peninsula, deserved a position, raising its voice for world peace. It also means that Jeju, with such a horrendous past dubbed the April 3 incident, had become the epicenter of world peace. Provided such purposes were understood, the construction of 4•3-gil can be viewed as closely related to making Jeju truly the “Island of World Peace.”   There is probably no one in Jeju who does not know Olle-gil. Recently, as “Halla Trail” came to be known, the trail has drawn a lot of attention. Still, not many people know that 4•3-gil is being constructed. Won Hee-ryong, who was elected for the sixth time in the popular election, promised perfect resolution of the April 3 incident even before the launch of his political career. His promise had “hidden” the construction of 4•3-gil – “hidden” meaning one needs to watch it closely. Thus, let us look into the details.   Constructing 4•3-gil meant developing themed courses by zone and 4•3 contents while building Olle-gil associated with the April 3 historic sites. Of course, long before that, events to pilgrimage at historic sites of the April 3 incident had long been held among related groups or people with such intention. That the administration began to take interest and recognize the need, albeit belatedly, is deemed a very meaningful attempt.   The fact that Jeju is an international city of freedom with unique nature and humanistic environment in Korea is already well-known. Thanks to that, it has become an island attracting 15 million tourists annually and won triple crowns from UNESCO. Still, the other side of the island’s beauty is a sad and painful history. The island was ruled by China’s Yuan Dynasty during the Goryeo Dynasty, and it was a place of banishment and uprising during the Joseon Dynasty. Jeju suffered from exploitation under Japanese colonial rule as well as the April 3 incident after the country was liberated. The fundamental purpose of constructing 4•3-gil is to overcome such painful past and make Jeju the site of history education where people can realize the importance of peace and human rights. In other words, it is a form of “dark tourism” from which people try to learn a lesson from the painful history.   Starting with Dongwang Village in Andeok in 2015, 4•3-gil has been constructed in Euigwi in Namwon, Bukchon in Jocheon, and Geumak in Hallim, with Gasi Village in Pyoseon to be constructed by the end of this year. 4•3-gil has been built in a total of five regions. It is believed that a course by village continues to be developed. The corresponding authorities seem to have many concerns, mainly because they have to go beyond construction and seek plans to utilize 4•3-gil actively. Thus, they have made efforts by allocating docents by course while discussing the matter with the corresponding village and by including them in field training programs operated by human resource development centers. Nonetheless, their inducement effects are deemed to leave a lot to be desired.   Let us look more closely into their real intention. As if the April 3 incident alone does not cause enough headaches, an all-day non-stop tour around the April 3 historical site or the site of the massacre will require considerable patience. Thus, the tour course should be diversified, and development for good storytelling is needed. For example, if the course can include a hike in the middle or a visit to the field with stone fences or small streams, tourists might find the tour more appealing.   We cannot disregard the importance of promotion. The authorities are making efforts to develop apps, but efforts should include promotion to schools and Education Offices across the nation so that school excursions can be planned on Jejudo Island. In addition, this writer wishes for promotion to be included in history and/or culture lectures held in human resource development centers, so that it can have opportunities to provide content to all civil officers taking lectures on Jejudo Island. More importantly, there are concerns about the laboriously constructed 4•3-gil being damaged due to various development projects. This requires measures for careful operation and utilization.