4·3 광풍이 휩쓸던 1948년 12월 제주읍에서 태어났다. 제주대 국어국문과와 동국대 행정대학원에서 공부했다. 1972년부터 27년 동안 언론인으로 활동했다. 1988년 『제주신문』 4·3취재반장을 맡아 「4·3의 증언」을 연재하며 운명적으로 4·3과 조우했다. 이후 『제민일보』 4·3취재반장과 편집국장 등을 거치며 4·3의 진실을 밝히는 「4·3은 말한다」를 10년 넘게 연재했다. 1999년 이후부터 4·3특별법쟁취연대회의 공동대표를 맡아 4·3특별법 제정 운동에 앞장섰고 2000년 이후 4·3위원회(위원장 국무총리) 수석전문위원으로서 『제주4·3사건 진상조사보고서』 작성의 실무책임을 맡았다. 4·3평화재단 초대상임이사, 제주특별자치도 환경부지사를 지냈고, 제주4·3평화재단 이사장을 맡고 있다.

He was born in Jeju-eup in December 1948, the era of Jeju 4·3. He studied at Jeju National University and the Graduate School of Public Administration at Dongguk University. He worked as a journalist from 1972 for 27 years. In 1988, as the head of the 4·3 coverage of the “Jeju Press”, he fatefully encountered the 4·3 while publishing “Testimonies of 4·3”. Since then, he had been serializing 『4·3 Says』, which reveals the truth of 4·3, for over 10 years, working as the head of the 4·3 coverage section of the “Jemin Ilbo” and the editor-in-chief. Since 1999, he had served as a co-representative of the 4·3 Special Law Fighting Association, leading the movement to enact the 4·3 Special Act. Since 2000, as a senior expert member of the 4·3 Committee (Chairperson of the Prime Minister), he had been responsible for preparing the “The Jeju 4·3 Incident Investigation Report”. He served as the first executive director of the 4·3 Peace Foundation, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province deputy governor of the environment, and currently serves as the chairperson of Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation.