Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday offered his condolences to the victims of the government’s bloody crackdown on a military rebellion. In a Facebook post marking the 77th anniversary of the so-called Yeosu-Suncheon incident, Lee pledged to seek justice for the civilians who were killed.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stated, “I will take solemn responsibility as president and take every possible measure to ensure there will never again be innocent victims of state violence.” He emphasized the government’s commitment to uncovering the full truth of the incident and restoring honor to the civilian victims, estimated to reach up to 11,000.

He further remarked, “Setting history right and establishing justice is work that must be done no matter how long it will take.” The Yeosu-Suncheon incident began on October 19, 1948, when about 2,000 left-leaning soldiers in Yeosu, 455 kilometers south of Seoul, rebelled after refusing an order to move to Jeju Island to suppress leftist protests against the South Korean government, which had been established two months earlier.

The military protest, occurring amid an ideological rift on the Korean Peninsula following its 1945 liberation from Japan’s colonial rule, quickly escalated into a widespread uprising as civilians in Yeosu and nearby Suncheon joined the soldiers. The massive killing of civilians occurred during the authorities’ crackdown on the anti-government movement.

In 2021, the National Assembly passed a special bill aimed at investigating the crackdown and restoring the honor of its victims.