Incessant Resistance

An anti-US, anti-fascist popular resistance took place on Cheju Island of south Korea in April of 1948, 69 years ago.

The uprising was mass resistance which demonstrated the indomitable stamina of the south Korean people at the cost of blood not to live as colonial slaves of foreign forces any longer.

After illegally occupying the south Korea in less than a month since its liberation the US ran wild to consolidate the system of their colonial rule over south Korea by installing a "separate government" quite contrary to the desire of all the fellow countrymen. Infuriated by this, the south Korean people waged a fierce anti-US struggle everywhere. The people on Cheju Island stood in the van of the resistance.

They chanted slogans "Early withdrawal of the US troops", "No separate election", "Down with stooges of the US" "Power to the people's committee!", and "Long live Korea's reunification!". The "separate election" in the Cheju Island ended in abject failure by the people's persistent resistance. 

The US killed many innocent people by launching a monstrous scorched-land operation

However, they failed to dampen dauntless mettle of the Cheju islanders.

The April 3 resistance drew a serious lesson that the people cannot live with the US and quislings under the same sky and should fight with them to the last.

More than 2 500 workers gathered from across south Korea to hold a rally outside the Cheju City Office on April 2 to mark the 69th anniversary of the April 3 Popular Uprising.

Speakers asserted that the action for peace and reunification waged by the Cheju islanders 69 years ago is going on.  

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions would take the lead in the drive for checking the deployment of THAAD, reinstatement of victims of the April 3 resistance and investigation into suppression of the resistance, they noted.   

Noting that the evils has lasted for more than 70 years, as the spirit of the April 3 popular uprising, which was to build an independent unified state, was violated by the US military administration, they called for elimination of the evils.

A resolution, read out at the rally, stressed that they would struggle to remove the pro-Japanese elements and the separatist system, realize peace in the Korean Peninsula and check the moves for deploying THAAD and turning the Cheju Island into a military base.

After the rally, they carried out a demonstration.

On April 1, they mourned the victims of the popular resistance and made a journey to Gangjeong village being reduced into ruins by project of naval base. They made a seminar on the village and conducted other activities. 

Much water has flown under the bridge since the resistance, but the independence, democracy and national reunification which uprisers had aspired after so much have not come true yet.

The south Korean people must build a new independent society and a reunified nation desired by them through a stubborn drive against the US and pro-US conservative elements.