South Korea Rethinks 'National Merit' for Mass Murder
The Korea Times reports President Lee Jae Myung has finally instructed a review of the 'national merit' designation for Colonel Park Jin-kyung, accused of leading violent crackdowns during the 1948 Jeju Uprising. This decision comes after public outcry, but the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs initially approved the honor, citing a military decoration for 'combat merit.' (One might wonder
what kind of 'combat' involves civilians.) The Jeju Uprising, which began in April 1948, saw an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people killed—nearly one-tenth of the island's population—by government forces. The state's apology only came in 2000, calling the events a 'massacre.' It appears some governments, even seven decades later, find it challenging to differentiate between defending a nation and
slaughtering its citizens. How many generations must pass before 'heroes' of state violence are simply called what they are?