여순사건위, 기한 1년 앞 사건처리율 59% 그쳐…유족 “인력 증원해야”

A year after its inception, the 'Jeoncheon · Suncheon 10·19 Incident Truth-seeking and Remembrance Compensation Committee' (Jeoncheon Committee) has only managed to process 59% of the 8,269 incidents it received. This figure has increased to 59% as of August 2025, but over 3,300 incidents remain unresolved. The committee's complex decision-making structure is cited as a hindrance to swift incident processing.

When an incident report is submitted, the committee's fact-finding subcommittee investigates the facts, which is then reviewed and voted on by the central committee. After the central committee's final decision, the outcome is notified to the bereaved families, marking the incident as 'processed.' However, the central committee's separate sub-committees and biannual meetings cause delays.

The committee also attributes the slower processing to a shortage of specialized investigators. Initially, the committee started with three specialized investigators, but increased this to five and later seven by last March. As of December 30.9% in 2024, the processing rate has improved to 59% this year, but completing all incidents by the committee's scheduled end date of October 4th next year seems unlikely.

The committee acknowledges that it has violated the 'Jeoncheon Incident Act' (Jeoncheon Law) multiple times, as 6,150 of the 8,269 submitted incidents are in violation. The average resolution time for these incidents is 364 days, four times the legally mandated 90 days. Jeoncheon Incident survivor association president, Jeon Isum, criticized the government for its inconsistent handling of the issue, calling for increased staffing and extended terms for the committee's staff.

The committee is actively working on improving processing efficiency through specialized investigations and expanding pre-hearing discussions within sub-committees.