Popular Uprising on Jeju Island

Pyongyang, March 21 (KCNA) -- It was on April 3, 1948, 70 years ago, that a popular armed uprising was launched on Jeju Island of south Korea to oppose the "May 10 separate elections" by the U.S. imperialists and the Syngman Rhee puppet clique.

Jeju islanders turned out in the uprising at the signal of a torch on Mt Halla at 02:00 that day and bravely struggled against the U.S. imperialists and the Syngman Rhee puppet clique, shouting such slogans as "Resolute opposition to the separate elections and separate government" and "Long live national reunification!"

Much upset by this, the U.S. imperialists and their stooges scorched 295 villages or more than half of the island and cruelly killed at least 70 000 innocent people by mobilizing huge forces in a repressive operation. Anyhow, the "May 10 separate elections" on Jeju Island ended in failure.

The popular uprising on Jeju Island, a righteous anti-U.S. resistance for national salvation, displayed the unanimous desire and indomitable stamina of the south Korean people to reject the interference of foreign forces and achieve the independent reunification and sovereignty of the country after its liberation. So, people from all walks of life in south Korea are still holding events in memory of the victims on the anniversary of the uprising.

But the U.S. has not yet apologized for the massacre on the island and the conservative group tries to play down the historic significance of the uprising, calling it a "rebellion by the order of the north."

This is another unpardonable crime designed to justify their thrice-cursed crime and keep it buried into oblivion of history.

The south Korean people have been subjected to untold sufferings owing to the U.S. imperialists, chieftain of national division, and the conservative traitors who have flattered and yielded to them.

The U.S. imperialist aggressor forces massacred more than one million patriots and innocent people before the Korean War after the August 15 liberation of Korea. And they mercilessly killed at least 1.24 million peaceable residents across south Korea including Rogun-ri, Yongdong County, North Chungchong Province and Sinwon-myon, Kochang County, South Kyongsang Province during the three-year Korean War.

After the war, the U.S. has backed the brutal suppression of the struggle of the south Korean people aspiring after independence, democracy and reunification such as the April 19 popular uprising and the May 18 Kwangju popular uprising and encouraged the conservative group, a group of rare-to-be-seen fascists, in the operation to suppress the uprisings.

As was recently disclosed, the conservative group hatched a plot to suppress by the force of arms even the candlelight demonstrations of the south Korean people launched to oust traitor Park Geun Hye from power.

The conservative forces of south Korea had committed shocking atrocities in a bid to strengthen their system for domination and dictatorship and engaged themselves in smear campaigns such as "total denial" and the "north wind".

But, as was disclosed in 2000 that "evidence" related to the popular uprising on Jeju Island was cooked up by the Central Intelligence Agency, the schemes and atrocities of the U.S. and conservative group have been revealed with the passage of time.

The "Liberal Korea Party" and other conservative forces are remnants of the pro-U.S. stooges who brutally massacred the people on the island while acting as servants of the U.S. imperialists and turned south Korea into a graveyard of independence and democracy and a veritable hell. They are now striving for the revival of the pro-U.S. dictatorial rule, maliciously slandering the popular uprising on Jeju Island.

The U.S. imperialists and the south Korean conservatives are a group of the worst murderers and traitors in history, who leave no stone unturned to realize their criminal purposes.

All the facts show that neither national reunification nor genuine democracy in south Korean society can be realized with the U.S. and conservative group left intact.

In order to realize the aspiration of the martyrs of Jeju Island, the cherished desire of the nation, it is necessary to reject the domination and interference of foreign forces and resolutely smash pro-U.S. traitors' sycophancy and confrontation moves against the fellow countrymen.

Written by Ri Kyong Ju. -0-