Lee vows justice for Yeosu-Suncheon victims on 77th anniversary
Published: 19 Oct. 2025, 14:29
![President Lee Jae Myung delivers a commemorative speech at the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on Oct. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/19/c232f52e-26e2-402f-87c9-0dfa8f67e26d.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung delivers a commemorative speech at the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on Oct. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday offered his condolences to the victims of the government's bloody crackdown on a military rebellion.
In a Facebook post marking the 77th anniversary of the so-called Yeosu-Suncheon incident, Lee pledged to seek justice for the civilians who were killed.
"I will take solemn responsibility as president and take every possible measure to ensure there will never again be innocent victims of state violence," he wrote.
He stressed the government will strive to uncover the full truth of the incident and restore the honor to the civilian victims, estimated to reach up to 11,000.
"Setting history right and establishing justice is work that must be done, no matter how long it will take," he said.
The incident began on Oct. 19, 1948, when about 2,000 left-leaning soldiers in Yeosu, South Jeolla, rose up in arms after refusing an order to move to Jeju Island to crack down on leftist protests against the Korean government, which had been established two months before.
The military protest, which took place amid an ideological rift on the Korean Peninsula after its 1945 liberation from Japan's colonial rule, soon grew into a widespread uprising as civilians in Yeosu and nearby Suncheon joined the soldiers. The massive killing of civilians occurred during the authorities' crackdown on the anti-government movement.
In 2021, the National Assembly passed a special bill aimed at investigating the crackdown and restoring the honor of its victims.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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