Session

[Special Session] “Path to Reconciliation, Coexistence and Happiness for Jeju Islanders

Time
14:00 ~ 15:30
Organization
Jeju Province, Jeju Peace Institute, Jeju Olle Foundation
Room
Halla
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, the Nobel laureate of literature, has created a reverberation among European readers with his travelogue about Jeju Island, which was carried in a French magazine. Ten years later, Le Clezio, who has honorary citizenship from Jeju, draws a parallel in his essay, “Jeju Revisited,” between his homeland Mauritius and Jeju Island as volcanic islands that have been victims of colonization by the world powers and the April 3 Incident, respectively. In the essay, he also ruminates on the spirit of Jeju, expressing his affection for the island. In this session, Suh Myung-sook, who is called a “pathfinder” as chairperson of the Jeju Olle Foundation and has made the “26 trails of happiness” over 10 years after her return to the island, will give a keynote speech following the video message from the Nobel laureate. Actress Moon Sori, who joined the nationwide campaign, “The Jeju April 3 Incident: The History of the Republic of Korea,” and Prof. Song Ki-jeong of Ewha Womans University who translated Clezio’s novella, “Tempest,” which was dedicated to Jeju Haenyeo, will discuss this theme. They will exchange their views on how to find a path toward reconciliation, coexistence, and happiness in their talks about the remaining historical scars of Jeju islanders.