North-West Youth Association
Far-right South Korean paramilitary group
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The North-West Youth Association(Korean: 서북청년회), also known as the Northwest Youth League, was a far-right anti-communist South Korean paramilitary group active during the Cold War. It mostly consisted of right-wing refugees from the Soviet-occupied northwestern region of Korea.
| North-West Youth Association | |
|---|---|
| Active | November 30, 1946–December 19, 1948 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Type | Paramilitary |
| Engagements | Jeju uprising |
History
The North-West Youth Association was established on November 30, 1946, by refugees escaping Soviet-occupied North Korea. Murals in the Jeju April 3 Peace Park Museum state that North-West Youth Association members fought Soviets and Korean communists because “members of their family had been imprisoned, raped or murdered in North Korea, and […] their property had been confiscated.”[1]
The Association conducted vigilante justice against suspected communists with no legal basis. The Association was supported by Syngman Rhee, the ardent anti-communist, US-backed leader of South Korea.[2] A communist uprising in Jeju occurred between 1948 and 1949, followed by a violent suppression campaign.[3][4] According to Bruce Cumings, the Association was brutal towards the residents of Jeju Island, exercising more authority than the police.[5] Between 14,000 and 30,000 people were killed during the Jeju uprising – 86% by security forces and paramilitary groups, including the North-West Youth Association, and 14% by rebels.[6][3][4] Survivors give accounts describing the torture of children and mass murder.[7] The violent crackdown created deep resentment in Jeju residents. What began as an anti-communist movement quickly became a force that sought to crush anyone opposed to President Rhee and the Korea Democratic Party.
A decade after the Korean War, Rhee was forced into exile in the wake of South Korea's April Revolution. Anti-communism remained a powerful force in the country, however, especially during the dictatorships of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-Hwan.[8]