NHRCK Welcomes Decision to Uncover Truth of Seongam Hakwon Incident

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) expressed its welcome for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRCK) decision to uncover the truth about the Seongam Academy incident.

On the 26th, Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the NHRCK, stated in a press release, "The TRCK has defined the Seongam Academy incident, where children were forcibly detained and their human rights violated, as a serious human rights violation by state authority," and added, "We welcome the TRCK's decision to uncover the truth."

Seongam Academy was a child detention center operated in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, from the Japanese colonial period until the 1980s. Although its stated purpose was to gather and educate homeless children from urban poor backgrounds, in reality, it was a place where labor exploitation and violence occurred. According to the TRCK, 4,689 detention records have been investigated to date.

The NHRCK received a petition related to the Seongam Academy incident in 2017 and conducted a fact-finding investigation. In November 2018, based on the investigation results, the NHRCK judged the Seongam Academy incident as a "past incident of state violence" and recommended to the Speaker of the National Assembly the enactment of related laws, and to the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Governor of Gyeonggi Province to prepare various support measures for surviving victims. Additionally, the NHRCK published the "Report on Human Rights Violations of Children at Seongam Academy" and discussed resolution of the incident and relief measures for victims during a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence.

Chairperson Song stated, "As the NHRCK has expressed opinions and the TRCK has recommended, a special law must be enacted to actively provide relief for the victims of the Seongam Academy incident," and urged, "Even before the special law is established, the government and our society should provide livelihood and housing support, shelter, counseling and medical services, and excavation of remains for surviving victims."

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