President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday vowed to hold those who commit state violence accountable and remove the statutes of limitations for criminal and civil cases related to a 1948 civilian massacre on Jeju Island as he honored the victims ahead of its anniversary later this week. 

Lee made the pledge during a luncheon meeting with families of the victims of the Jeju April 3 massacre on the southern island, a brutal crackdown on Jeju islanders who rose up against the U.S. military-led rule following Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea. 

The then government distorted the uprising as a communist riot and massacred an estimated 14,000-30,000 civilians, or up to 10 percent of the island's population at the time. The crackdown began in 1947 and lasted for more than seven years.

"We will completely rule out the statutes of limitations for criminal and civil cases involving state violence, ensuring that perpetrators remain fully accountable for as long as they live, and that their descendants are also held responsible within that scope if they inherit related property," Lee said at the ceremony. 

Lee said the government will push to reintroduce the legislation as soon as possible, pledging to make sure those responsible for state violence will be punished like "Nazi war criminals." 

"I believe it is my duty as president to ensure that the state never uses its power to commit violence against its own people, as it should exist to protect their lives and safety," he said. 

Lee's Democratic Party, as the then main opposition, had pushed for legislation to remove the statues of limitations for the Jeju massacre during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government. But the bill was blocked after then acting President Choi Sang-mok exercised his veto when Yoon was impeached.

Prior to meeting the families, Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung visited the Jeju April 3 Peace Park to pay their respects to the victims.  


Lee vows to hold those who commit state violence accountable in honor of 1948 Jeju massacre victims