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Recognition and Responsibility: The Moral Relevance of Pre-UN history to the Jeju Tragedy
I highlight morally relevant history - of Korea, of The United States and of The early years of the United Nations (UN), which tends to be ignored in the discussion of the Jeju tragedy - a seven year period of brutality on Jeju Island, South Korea, that lasted from March 1, 1947 to September 21, 1954. While discussions of these events acknowledge the responsibility of the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK), they overlook the connection of the tragedy to Korea’s earlier history - such as its Independence Movement in the early 1900s. Also overlooked is the way in which the US created machinery in the early years of the UN that was the sine qua non of the controversial UN monitored elections which were the flashpoint of the incident. This Pre-UN and early UN history is poignantly connected to the Jeju tragedy, as we will see, and is crucial for understanding its full significance. Sadly, however, this history is dimly understood. For the sake of understanding the full scope of moral responsibility for the Jeju tragedy, and for reconnecting to the values and virtues important for all people, this overlooked history must be brought to light.
