More than 4.8 trillion won ($4.27 billion) is estimated to be required to compensate victims of civilian massacres and other tragic incidents involving government abuse of power during the dark decades up until South Korea's democratization.

The government of President Moon Jae-in has made it one of its agenda goals to resolve the grievances of victims of state abuse of power since Korea's 1945 liberation from Japan's colonial rule through the following decades of authoritarian rule.

About 36,000 people have been officially recognized as victims of such tragedies, including mass killings such as the "Jeju April 3" incident, a government-civilian clash from 1948 and 1954, and the "Nogun-ri" killings by the US Army during the early days of the war.

An average 130 million won in financial compensation was provided to victims of the government's bloody crackdown on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju. If a similar amount of money is to be given to other victims, it would take a total of about 4.8 trillion won to compensate all 36,000 of them.

The government plans to revise related laws to include clauses on compensation.


Officials of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said the total amount of compensation is expected to rise further as more victims could be identified in fact-finding investigations that a state commission dealing with such incidents is expected to launch.

Officials said they are considering taking non-financial measures to resolve grievances, such as restoring their honor and building memorials, as it could take a long time to revise laws and complete other necessary measures before actual financial payments are made.

The ministry also plans to seek to register records of the Jeju April 3 incident as a UNESCO World Record Heritage and organize events in memory of victims, such as a movie festival and other cultural events promoting peace and human rights. (Yonhap)