This is an excellent article by Nicole Erwin at Jeju Weekly ( this issue is really good) in which she interviewed Oh Seung-kook, a survivor of the Jeju Uprising Massacre in 1948. The article describes some of the events leading up to one particular massacre that killed 450 people – mainly men - in a village of 1,200.
I like Oh’s closing statement: “Jeju is very famous for tourism but all the tourism is in the name of beauty. However, the tragedies are also a part of Jeju tourism. To fully understand the meaning of Jeju, tourists need to see all aspects, dark and light.”
For those who have been to Jeju – there is definitely a feeling that the island is different from the rest of Korea and apparently even the Korean government acknowledges that. Did you know that Korea has an ambassador to Jeju?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Jeju is different from the rest of Korea. The Korean government recognizes this. Holy shit! Jeju is the Quebec of Korea.
It doesn’t ring true that villagers would be afraid of soldiers shooting fish and so run down to the beach and kill them. Perhaps the survivor didn’t know, but the killers were most likely partisan guerillas (who may have been outsiders and/or locals).
One reason survivors were afraid was apparently because some anti-communist killers stayed on in Jeju and rose to prominent positions there.
Is this the one and only Michael Breen? If it is, I’m a fan sir.
Thanks WK. I’ve been lurking for years and thought I might as well come out.
I once called you an Alex de Tocqueville for Korea if you remember that particular Amazon user review.
I do. It made me want to update and improve the book. Thanks for that.
I was hoping you were who I thought you were.
And I was wondering why you’ve never appeared here.
South Korea have ambassadors to every provinces of Korea as well as governors. It’s waste of tax payers money on bureaucracy. I always thought LMB admin was going to reduce unnecessary government positions.
Jeju Weekly’s reporter Nicole Erwin, by not fully researching or questioning an informant’s tale, simply adds to the confusion of those tragic years from April 3, 1948 to after the Korean conflict. There is no recognized beach at Jocheon which at that time was the Myon-office location. It begs the imagination to even consider that weighted bodies would be taken by the current the distance from Bukchon to the coastal area directly in front of the village of Jocheon of over 8 kilometers by water in just two or three tidal changes. Surely, the reader might at least expect a firm date for the murder of police officials shooting fish, whether out of fear or for any other reason!!!!
@2, mbreen probably comes close to the reason there has for so long been and even still is a `fear of criticism’ to speak. The article is a kind of sensationalism that I, for one, doubt has any real bearing on Dark Tourism.
#8 & 9
I read the Hole most days but find that commenting takes my mind off other work. In fact, I’ve done nothing today.
Almost every woman from Jeju on UBLove has a number in their user name.
I would think saying it is the Okinawa of Korea is more accurate.
Very good! I wonder how many in the kimchi gallery will get it.
Hi Mike! hope to see more of your voice here. Tho i empathize, rarely comment much anymore myself…
Hey mountain man. I was thinking of you last night when I saw Avatar. Nothing gay of course, just the idea of the spirit of the forest….
Sperwer,
What do you mean by “kimchi gallery?”
Interesting … so it is _the_ Michael Breen.
As good as his book “The Koreans” was, what I would love to read would be an account of his joining, being part of, then leaving, the Moon cult.
Dogbertt, was that Michael Breen . . . or Lee Charm?
Or both . . .
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Well the Washington Times comments certainly make more sense now.
Actually Japan only annexed Okinawa back in 19th century, Jeju (aka Tamra) was annexed by Baekje-Silla then Koryo back in 6~7th century and again in 11th century.
#20
Dogbertt is correct. That’s a project I’m working on now.
#21
Balls, my cult experience is rather irrelevant to my WT comments. They came from my experience as the Seoul correspondent for the paper for 8 years.
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