Yeosu–Suncheon October 19 Incident

Also called: Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion

Part of the army’s 14th Regiment at Yeosu refused orders to suppress the Jeju uprising, rose up and seized Yeosu and Suncheon before being put down.

On 19 October 1948 some soldiers of the 14th Regiment stationed at Yeosu refused orders to deploy to Jeju, rebelled and took Yeosu and Suncheon. The government declared martial law and retook both towns within a week; the remaining rebels went into the Jirisan mountains as guerrillas. The rebels killed police and right-wing figures, and during the suppression many civilians were killed without trial as suspected collaborators.

The government then purged leftists from the army and passed the National Security Act in December 1948. A special act on fact-finding and restoring the honour of victims was passed in 2021.