“Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration shocked us and made us realize ... that when the people let their guard down, cracks occur in the democracy that was considered solid, and poisonous mushrooms like Yoon grow in those cracks."

Author Hyun Ki-young, who published an essay on the Jeju Uprising, speaks during an interview at the Kyunghyang Shinmun in Seoul on March 28. Reporter Lee Jun-heon

Hyun Ki-young (84), author of the novel “Aunt Suni,” which brought the Jeju uprising to the surface, wrote in an essay titled “The Wind Blowing in April,” published this month. “Martial law is a despicable tool of someone who is thirsty for dictatorship,” Hyun said in an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on March 28. He said the word “martial law” he encountered last December suddenly summoned up memories of being taken to the Defense Security Command and tortured by the Chun Doo-hwan regime after the publication of “Aunt Suni.”

Hyun said he was “deplorable” over the chaotic situation, which seemed to be stabilized with the impeachment of Yoon, has become more serious by rioters on the street. “The far-right nakedly reveals itself, and a combat phenomenon that could be called a 'civil war' is taking place,” he said.

He added, “I don't think they came out of nowhere. The vested interests since before the Syngman Rhee government and the people who have come together for political gain have been suppressing themselves because of their moral blemishes, and now they're showing their faces, saying, 'We're right, too.’”

“Some far-right groups are driven more by extreme fun and contaminated ideas rather than any political beliefs. the conservatives are being led by them, and it's a shame how they're going to deal with the consequences,” he said. The author criticized the situation where the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which was taken over by the rioters, advocated for Yoon’s rebellion and called for the dismissal of his impeachment.

However, he found hope in the literary community, where more than 400 writers, including Han Kang, have issued a statement calling for Yoon's impeachment. “I think one of the reasons Han Kang won the Nobel Prize was because she wrote novels about issues of democratization and social justice. I personally liked two of her novels about Gwangju and Jeju, ‘Human Acts’ and ' I Do Not Bid Farewell,' and I think martial law gives a fresh energy to the literary world."

He was also surprised to see young people, including women in their 20s and 30s, take to the streets to protest against the rebellion. “As an older generation, and as someone who lived through the democratization movement in the 1980s, I thought that young people today were immersed in their daily lives and entertainment rather than being aware of social phenomena,” he said. “But I was surprised to see young people appear like a breeze, like a miracle, after the imposition of martial law. I even felt a sense of shame that 'I misunderstood the young generation.’”

Regarding the delay of the Constitutional Court's sentencing for Yoon’s impeachment case, he said, "There is a saying that ‘delayed justice is not justice,’ but there is also a saying that ‘It is never too late to do justice.’ I believe the Constitutional Court will realize justice even if it is late."

The Jeju Uprising, which marks its 77th anniversary this year, is still on the way to realize delayed justice. Along with political and social changes, things that were once taboo to talk about are now being addressed in novels, films, and TV series. However, the author said it was regrettable that “Aunt Suni” was not made into a film.

“I heard that the production team even wrote a scenario, but it failed because they couldn't find investors. There were two attempts, but they all ended like that," he said. “I heard that director Jeong Ji-young is preparing a film based on the Jeju Uprising, and I hope it works out well.”

In 2023, Hyun released a three-volume feature novel, “Jeju Douda,” and said, “I will stop trying to deal with the Jeju Uprising in a novel.“ He added, “It is the last novel dealing with the incident, but I will not stop talking about it in essays or lectures.”