Kim Dong-yeon: "We Will Do Our Best to Support and Heal Victims of Human Rights Violations at Seongam Academy"

Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province posted a message and photo on his SNS on the 6th.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, once again promised support and healing for the victims of the 'Seongam Academy'.

On the evening of the 6th, Governor Kim posted on his social network service (SNS), stating, "The history we have passed is a compass for the future," and explained, "We have relocated the Seongam Academy Victim Support Center to the old Gyeonggi Provincial Government building."

He continued, "Gyeonggi Province, together with its 14 million residents, will remember and practice gratitude and respect for patriots, support and solidarity for forced labor victims, and support and healing for victims of state violence," promising his commitment.

Earlier, the province announced support measures for Seongam Academy victims and their families, including ▲monthly living stabilization support of 200,000 KRW for victims ▲a consolation payment of 5 million KRW ▲medical services up to 5 million KRW annually at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center ▲and actual medical expense support up to 2 million KRW annually at tertiary general hospitals.

Seongam Academy was an incident where, under national policy during the Japanese colonial period from 1942 to 1982, over 4,700 boys were subjected to forced labor, beatings, malnutrition, and harsh treatment under the pretext of reforming vagrants, violating their human rights.

On October 20 last year, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Past Affairs concluded that the incident was a "child human rights violation by public authority" and recommended official apologies and support measures for the victims from Gyeonggi Province, which operated Seongam Academy, and the state that implemented the illegal vagrant policy.

Accordingly, this year the province allocated a budget of 1.42 billion KRW for victim support measures related to the Seongam Academy incident, including consolation payments, medical expense support, installation of a memorial monument, and support for memorial cultural festivals.

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