Yeosun Committee Has Processed Only 59% of Cases, a Year Before Deadline, Families Demand More Staff

A year before its scheduled end, the committee handling the Yeosu-Suncheon 10.19 incident has processed only 59% of the cases filed with it. Families say the government must add staff to prevent the process from stalling further.

The Yeosu-Suncheon 10.19 Incident Truth and Reconciliation Committee received 8,269 applications between January 2022 and August 2025. It had processed 4,882, leaving more than 3,300 unresolved. The committee had already extended its activity period twice by two years after its processing rate stood at just 9.51% at the end of August 2024.

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The government is breaking the law in a contradictory situation.

Its decision-making structure has emerged as a major obstacle. After investigators examine a case, a working committee refers it to the central committee for a final decision on whether to accept or reject the claim. The central committee’s subcommittee meets once a month, but the full committee meets only quarterly, adding delays even after preliminary reviews.

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Considering the current pace of case processing, we estimate that the cases will be completed around December next year.

The committee also says the cases cannot be handled in batches because the nature of the incident and specific categories, including the Jeonnam Bodo League and mass-sacrifice cases, have not been fully investigated. It began with three professional investigators, increased that number to five last year, and reached seven only in March, the same number assigned to the Jeju 4.3 committee.

The processing rate rose from 30.9% in December 2024 and 38.7% in June last year to 59% in July. Still, the committee says the current pace points to completion around December next year, after its scheduled end on October 4 next year. Of 6,150 cases subject to the 90-day rule, 2,681 remain pending before the central committee. The 3,940 cases already processed spent an average of about 364 days pending, more than four times the legal limit. Yeosu families’ representative Lee Ja-hoon called the situation contradictory, saying the government was breaking its own law and should extend the terms of staff members, many of whom serve for only one year.

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We are seeking to improve the processing rate by enhancing review efficiency through joint investigations with professional investigators, expanding subcommittee meetings and increasing the number of cases reviewed in advance by each member.