3‧1소요 / 제주도 총파업

15 March 1947 SUBJECT: Counter Intelligence Corps Semi-Monthly Report No. 6 Period Covered: 1 March 1947 to 15 March 1947 2. Subversive Activity: In Seoul, the combined rightist meeting at Seoul Stadium adjourned at approximately 1330 hours, and the crowd fell easy prey to right-wing young men's groups who urged the forming of a parade. The crowd moved from the Stadium, passed the Capitol Building, and toward the South Gate. At this time the large leftist meeting, attended by an estimated 80-100 thousand persons...was..over. and those who had attended the meeting were slowly descending from South Mountain toward South Gate. CIC personnel covering the parade successfully re-routed a section of the rightist parade away from the South Gate area but another section, the van guard of several young men's associations marched toward the Gate shouting such phrases as, "Kill the Communists". Stones flew, and to separate the two factions which were advancing toward each other, police fired. During the ensuing forty-five minutes, police attempted to round up the so-called offenders, but in actuality, the police merely applied strong arm tactics to the leftists. At the day's end there were four dead, two seriously injured, and seventy-five slightly injured. Pusan District CIC office reported that two authorized meetings in that area dispersed peacefully, but a third meeting, left-wing unauthorized,was disrupted when two members of the right-wing Kwang Bok Young Men's Association jumped onto the speakers' platform and attempted to destroy the Microphone. Police arrested the two men and placed them on a police truck. As the truck left the meeting place, one of the 8000 persons attending the meeting threw stones at the truck and seriously injured a police detective. The offender was arrested and placed on the vehicle which once again began to leave the area. Ten rounds from a small caliber weapon were fired in the vicinity of the truck, and the police, without orders from the police chief, fired about 200 rounds 'into the air'. Evidence showed that the police must have fired into the crowd, as there were 6 men dead and nine wounded when the crowd dispersed. The third incident of consequence occurred on Cheju Island when a large crowd marched en a police station. Police fired into the crowd killing a reported 6 persons. One policeman was injured. (2). General Strikes Break Out on Cheju Island. Information received from National Police on 13 March 1947 stated that the following report had been received from Cheju Island (Saishu To): "Sixty-four policemen have resigned since the 1 March incident. Demonstration made by all the middle school students in the city (Cheju). Business stops as employees strike" Telephoned reports from Pusan District CIC on 14 March 1947 stated that all Military, Government employees with the exception of the police and court officials had gone --- p397 --- on strike on the island. Police reinforcements from Cholla Namdo and Cholla Pukto have been dispatched. The general strike on Cheju was prompted by the 1 March 1947 incident. The public made several protests to the police and Military Government officials over police brutality, and finally staged the over-all strike as an outward protest. As background information, the Seoul Han Sung Ilbo, moderate right-wing newspaper, stated on 13 March 1947 in an article regarding the Cheju situation that ninety percent of the population of Cheju is left-wing.