Joint Memorial Ceremony for 78th Anniversary of Yeosu–Suncheon Incident; Government Says It Will Accelerate Fact-Finding and Restoration of Honor

[Financial News]  A joint memorial ceremony honoring the victims will be held in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, on the 19th to mark the 78th anniversary of the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident. The government plans to pursue fact-finding on the incident and restoration of the victims’ honor as national policy priorities, and says it will expedite reviews and determinations concerning victims and bereaved families.
The Yeosu–Suncheon Incident Fact-Finding and Victims’ Honor Restoration Committee announced on the 18th that it will hold the 78th joint memorial ceremony for the incident at 10 a.m. on the 19th at Ocheon Green Square in Suncheon.
This year’s memorial ceremony will be held under the theme, “78 Years of Waiting: Now, the Republic of Korea Will Complete the Truth of the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident!” Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, will attend as the government’s representative, alongside around 800 people, including bereaved family members and citizens. The ceremony will begin with religious rites and a tribute dance, followed by the tolling of a bell and a moment of silence, the laying of flowers and burning of incense, a report on the course of events, and memorial remarks.
Twenty photographs documenting the tragedy at the time will be displayed at the venue. A video covering the life of the late prosecutor Park Chan-gil will be screened, and his son, Pastor Park Gyeong-jin, is scheduled to share his reflections on his experiences as a bereaved family member. A separate rest area will also be set up for bereaved families.
The government says it will expedite reviews and determinations concerning victims and bereaved families while ensuring that work on the fact-finding report proceeds without disruption.
Minister Yoon said, “Our government has adopted fact-finding on the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident and restoration of honor as national policy priorities,” adding, “We will expedite reviews and determinations for the incident’s victims and bereaved families and ensure that the fact-finding report to restore the victims’ honor is also completed without disruption.”
Bereaved families called for a historical reassessment of the incident. Seong Jae-su, chair of the Bereaved Families’ Association, said, “I hope that the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident, now 78 years in the past, will be reinterpreted not as a rebellion of the past, but as a historical event in pursuit of peace and justice.”

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter