The Jeju April 3rd Incident refers to a large-scale civilian massacre that took place on Jeju Island over a period of about seven years from 1947 to 1954. Han Sang-hee’s The Words the April 3rd Gave to Me describes the stories related to this incident as a family narrative. 

For the average reader, there might be concerns about the darkness of the content before reading the book. Indeed, the media coverage of the April 3rd Incident has mostly focused on the details of the incident and its aftermath, making the content heavy and grim.

However, the author, Han Sang-hee, dispels  such concerns. Just like the title suggests, the April 3rd Incident as told in this book “gives” us words. With a calm and composed tone, she describes historical truths, the domestic and international situation at the time, the reasons behind the incident, the merciless slaughter by the perpetrators, the difficult survival and restoration of the survivors, the process of healing and overcoming the pain, and the lessons learned from it.

It is truly remarkable that so much content is narrated within a single book. Even experts acknowledge that nearly everything about the April 3rd Incident is encapsulated within this book. Through this book, readers encounter the author’s high intellectual level. Furthermore, readers may find themselves reflecting on the author’s efforts, perseverance, diligence, and sense of duty or destiny.

Author Han Sang-hee

The author, Han Sang-hee, encounters  the April 3rd Incident through a frightening dream at a young age. In the dream, she finds herself washing her hands by the seaside and touching bones, which she then piles up in a communal graveyard. Through this dream, the grandfather sacrificed in the incident approaches the author. From then on, she embarks on a long journey to seek answers to her “questions” about the April 3rd Incident. People’s responses to these questions varied. Some talked about the US military government, others about our Korean government, and still others about soldiers and police, or the brutality of the armed forces. What exactly is the truth behind the incident? Her curiosity only grows. In time, her curiosity is satisfied through reading the “Truth Investigation Report.” In her book, she narrates the process of the April 3rd Incident and the horrifying stories of the crimes committed by the perpetrators from a comprehensive perspective.

However, at this point, she embarks on a new journey. While it is common to focus on anger towards the perpetrators and compensation for the victims, she starts asking new questions. How did the families of the victims overcome their pain? How did the children left alone in devastated villages restore the Jeju community? What made it possible for them to recover from their scars? This portion of the book allows her readers to admire her persistent searching and her expressions of profound emotions.

Here, she introduces the theory of “banality of evil,” acknowledging that humans have both good and evil within them. In other words, anyone is capable of committing evil deeds. However, through the examples of individuals who risked their lives by refusing to obey unjust orders during the incident and in this way, saving many lives, she emphasizes the importance of “citizenship of goodness.” Ultimately, she suggests that we should have the courage to practice “citizenship of goodness” which goes beyond just reflection on the “banality of evil.”

The author, Han Sang-hee suggests that the April 3rd Incident can serve as a living textbook even now for embarking on the path of peace and human rights with a global citizen consciousness. By proposing “restorative justice” through apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation, she presents the modern significance of the April 3rd Incident.

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