'Healing from State Violence' Gwangju Trauma Center Performance Presentation

Yang Hyang-ja MP "Will Do Our Best to Heal and Support Victims of State Violence"

The Gwangju National Trauma Center for State Violence, the first specialized institution in Korea for healing trauma caused by state violence, held a performance presentation event.

Yang Hyang-ja, Member of the National Assembly (Representative of Hope of Korea), attended the 2023 Gwangju Trauma Center Performance Presentation on the 15th, encouraging the healing achievements of victims and bereaved families and taking time to listen to opinions for the development of the center.

About 200 victims and bereaved families of state violence attended the event, including those who contributed to the May 18 Democratic Movement, victims of civilian massacres before and after the Korean War, victims of the Brother Welfare Center, and bereaved families of Honam ethnic democratic martyrs.

The Gwangju Trauma Center is the first specialized institution in Korea dedicated to healing victims suffering from aftereffects caused by state violence. It offers trauma healing and rehabilitation programs such as therapeutic writing, Nanta (Korean percussion performance), photo therapy, medicinal tea recovery, May Pine Tree Choir, and traditional Korean medicine treatment, with plans to gradually expand these programs.

Currently, the Gwangju Trauma Center is also conducting state violence prevention projects.

The Gwangju Trauma Center, a long-awaited project in the region, was established based on the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of the National Trauma Healing Center for State Violence," which was initiated and passed by Representative Yang Hyang-ja in November 2021. The enforcement decree was prepared in June 2022.

Since then, construction has been underway at the former site of the Armed Forces Integrated Hospital in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, with a building of three floors above ground and one basement floor. The construction is expected to be completed by February 2024.

Representative Yang Hyang-ja said, “It is natural for the state to take responsibility for the healing and rehabilitation of those harmed by unjust state authority. Although a long time has passed, I am glad that victims can now receive healing and rehabilitation through the Gwangju Trauma Healing Center.”

She added, “I will do my utmost to ensure that victims can receive continuous and smooth treatment through the Gwangju Trauma Center.”

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