From the Editor – April 2026

April – the thought of this month evokes such pleasant emotions. The warmth of spring. Sunny skies.

Picnics, excursions, cheery cherry blossoms, dancing hearts. April fills us with joy, exuberance, gaiety. But there is a darker side to Korea’s April, one that has long been left unspoken. Though dates such as 3.1, 5.18, and 12.12 are instantly recognizable to residents of Korea, 4.3 is not, even though it became a national observance over a decade ago and even though tens of thousands of Koreans lost their lives. This was the April 3 Jeju Incident of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The massacre reduced the island’s population by ten percent and affected every Jeju family in some manner.

This month’s featured topic, the April 3 Jeju Incident, foregrounds an article by a Jeju resident whose family was adversely impacted by “4.3.” It is sure to also impact you, leaving you wondering how such mass killings could have been silenced for so long [see Korea in Focus, p. 9].

Our Human Rights section features two superb articles: One introduces the annual World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) that will be returning to Gwangju in May; the other highlights the launching of Yeolmae, the association of survivors of state sexual violence, who have been silenced for far too long.

In our History and Tradition section we bring you the story of a renowned Joseon era philosopher exiled to this area – Dasan, Jeong Yakyong – authored by an expert on this Neo-Confucian scholar. We also bring you a much older Korean story – the tale of an Indian princess arriving on the shore of the Gaya kingdom in 48 C.E. to wed its king!

April is the month of cherry blossoms. One expat writes of her stroll through the cherry blossom season, while another suggests outstanding things to do and cheery places to see other than just those featuring cherry blossoms. One of these destinations is the Shinan Tulip Festival, for which a third author details her trip to this island gala.

Our Science and Technology section is very much AI focused. One article deals with how AI threatens our privacy. Another alerts us to how AI-injected robots are converging with humans. And a third warns that we may now be witnessing the beginning of AI overtaking humanity!

This is but half of what the April Gwangju News has on offer! We hope you enjoy the 70-plus pages we have prepared for you this month!