Children Almost Taken Away... What Happened at Seongam Academy?

Sungam Hakwon Operated from 1942 to 1982
Children Around 10 Years Old Exposed to Violence and Labor Exploitation
Dragged In Despite Not Being Vagrants... Local Governments Provided Compensation for Bringing Many

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] On the 20th, the 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) decided to investigate the 'Seongam Academy Incident,' which was a shameful history marked by the violation of children's human rights. From 1942 to 1982, children at Seongam Academy were exposed to unimaginable labor exploitation and violence.

Seongam Academy was a child detention facility established in 1942 by the Japanese colonial government on Seongamdo Island in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to confine and reform urban poor children. After liberation, the facility was operated under the leadership of the state, which was a dictatorship, and Gyeonggi Province until 1982. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a total of 4,689 detention records have been confirmed to date.

Gyeonggi Province officials inspecting Seongam Academy. Gyeonggi Province systematically managed Seongam Academy, imprisoning and exploiting children. (Provided by the National Human Rights Commission)

The children did not receive proper education at this facility. During the period when they should have received basic education, the children endured heavy labor while working in shifts until dawn. They planted trees on Seongamdo Island and carried heavy items such as rice and salt unloaded at the dock. They also raised pigs and silkworms and managed salt fields. At that time, Seongam Academy called this 'vocational education' and exploited child labor.

Child management was carried out violently. If the children showed even the slightest distraction while working, they were often beaten. According to materials from the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, victims of the Seongam Academy incident testified that they were beaten by teachers and feared the sound of sticks. Not only teachers but also children inflicted violence on each other. Due to the military-style culture, a so-called 'class system' emerged among the children. To avoid appearing weak, children sometimes inflicted cruel and organized violence on others.

The result was escape attempts. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's investigation, the reason for discharge of children was as high as 17.8%. However, the sea was too deep for children as young as 10 years old to cross. Victims of the Seongam Academy incident testified that they buried the bodies of friends who failed to escape and were washed ashore with their own hands. Even if they escaped, problems arose. Nearby residents identified the children as detainees of Seongam Academy, caught them, and forced them into labor. If they did not comply, they were threatened with being reported back to Seongam Academy. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's investigation, one child worked at an entertainment restaurant after escaping, despite being a minor.

Children at Seongam Academy Suffered Violence and Forced Labor... Not Vagrants but Dragged In

It was not only vagrant children who came to the hellish Seongam Academy. If unlucky, children with intact families were caught by police or officials and sent to Seongam Academy. Victims said they wanted to call their parents or siblings, but the police and officials at the time did not believe them and sent them to the child detention facility. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, more than half of the children detained at Seongam Academy were brought there without the consent of their guardians.

At the time, Gyeonggi Province's vagrant child control officers testified that they judged vagrants simply by appearance. Mr. Lim, who worked as a child welfare guide from 1972 to 1982, said, "A vagrant child is one who wanders due to an unfortunate family situation. They are judged as vagrants by their appearance, such as sleeping outside instead of at home, begging for food, or wearing shabby clothes." Kim Young-bae, chairman of the Seongam Academy Child Victims Countermeasure Council, said, "Later, I learned that officials were given quotas to catch vagrant children and that there were awards at the local government level."

Because of this, victim Oh Gwang-seok was detained at Seongam Academy as a vagrant despite having a mother and two younger siblings. He has not seen his family to this day. The state effectively tore the family apart. Oh said, "At that time, I got off at Daejeon Station by train and tried to go home, but I was taken to the police box," adding, "From there, I was immediately sent to Seongam Academy."

The victims called for an apology from the state. Han Il-young, a victim of the Seongam Academy incident, said, "I received an apology from Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province, but I have not yet received an apology from the state," and added, "I hope the current government will offer a state-level apology to the victims of Seongam Academy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.