President Moon Jae-in on Friday urged the National Assembly to promptly address a pending bill aimed at compensating victims and bereaved families of the April 3 Jeju uprising and massacre from seven decades ago.
Attending an annual ceremony to commemorate the tragic incident on the southernmost island for the second time since taking office in 2017, Moon said realizing legal justice is a state duty and aiding wrongfully-sacrificed citizens is fundamental to a nation.
The bill, submitted in late 2017, calls for reparations for the victims and their families, recovery of their honor and additional investigation into the truth behind the 1948 anti-U.S. uprising that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in a years-long government crackdown.
Stressing that the incident has left pain not only in the hearts of Jeju residents but in the country's modern history, Moon said finding the truth behind what happened can only liberate the nation from decades-long enmity and conflict.
Stating that resolving the incident is neither a matter of politics nor ideology, Moon vowed to do all that he can to realize common values of reconciliation, co-prosperity, peace and human rights.