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The North-West Youth Association, also known as the Northwest Youth League, was a right-wing, anti-communist South Korean paramilitary group active during the Cold War. It is most well known for committing widespread atrocities during the South Korean government-led suppression of the Jeju Uprising.
| North-West Youth Association | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | November 30, 1946–December 19, 1948 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Type | Paramilitary |
| Engagements | Jeju uprising |
| North-West Youth Association | |
| Hangul | 서북청년회 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 西北青年會 |
| Revised Romanization | Seobuk Cheongnyeonhoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏbuk Ch'ŏngnyŏnhoe |
History edit
The North-West Youth Association was established on November 30, 1946, by refugees escaping Soviet-occupied North Korea. Murals in the Jeju April 3 Peace Park Museum state that North-West Youth Association members fought Soviets and Korean communists because “members of their family had been imprisoned, raped or murdered in North Korea, and that their property had been confiscated.”[1]
The Association conducted vigilante justice against suspected communists with no legal basis. The Association was supported by Syngman Rhee, the ardent, anti-communist, US-backed autocrat of South Korea.[2] A socialist uprising in Jeju occurred from 1948 to 1949, followed by a violent suppression campaign.[3][4] According to Bruce Cumings, the Association was brutal towards the residents of Jeju Island, exercising more authority than the police.[5] Between 14,000 and 30,000 people were killed during the Jeju uprising. 86% by security forces and paramilitary groups including the North-West Youth Association, and 14% by rebels.[6][3][4] Survivors give accounts of torture used against children and mass murder.[7] This created deep resentment in Jeju residents. What began as an anti-communist movement, quickly became a force to crush anyone who opposed President Rhee and the Korea Democratic Party.
A decade after the Korean War, Rhee was forced into exile after the April Revolution in South Korea. Anti-communism remained a powerful force, especially during the dictatorships of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-Hwan.[8]
References edit
- ^ "The Northwest Youth League - JEJU WEEKLY". www.jejuweekly.com.
- ^ "Islanders still mourn April 3 massacre - JEJU WEEKLY". www.jejuweekly.com.
- ^ a b Hugh Deane (1999). The Korean War, 1945–1953. China Books&Periodicals, Inc. pp. 54–58. ISBN 9780141912240.
- ^ a b Merrill, John (1980). "Cheju-do Rebellion". The Journal of Korean Studies. 2: 139–197. doi:10.1353/jks.1980.0004. S2CID 143130387.
- ^ Cumings, Bruce (December 20, 2016). "American Responsibility and the Massacres in Cheju Conference on Overcoming the Past: Healing and Reconciliation -- Cheju and the World in Comparison" (PDF).
- ^ "The National Committee for Investigation of the Truth about the Jeju April 3 Incident". 2008. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ "Memories of pain and loss from the Apr. 3 Jeju Uprising and massacre". The Hankyoreh.
- ^ "History of anti-communism in South Korea". The Korea Times. 17 February 2015.