Gyeonggi-do to Directly Conduct Excavation of 'Seongam Hakwon' Victims' Remains from March Instead of the State

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is offering flowers and a moment of silence at the site presumed to be the harmful burial ground of Seongam Academy last October.

Gyeonggi Province will begin excavating the remains of victims of the Ansan City ‘Seongam Academy’ incident on behalf of the state starting this March.

On the 13th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it has urgently allocated 900 million KRW from contingency funds for the excavation project, which will proceed for one year and five months, including excavation, investigation, forensic examination, and enshrinement procedures.

The excavation target area is a burial ground located at San 37-1, Seongam-dong, Ansan City, covering a total area of 2,400 square meters. It is estimated that the remains of 114 victims of the Seongam Academy are buried here.

Previously, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Past Affairs concluded in October 2022 that the Seongam Academy incident was a case of ‘child human rights violations by public authority’ and recommended that Gyeonggi Province, which operated Seongam Academy, and the state, which implemented illegal vagrant policies, prepare support measures for the victims and excavate the victims’ remains.

The Commission held a joint press conference with then-Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon, clarifying that the state, as the key party responsible for Seongam Academy, should lead the truth-finding efforts including the excavation of remains, while Gyeonggi Province would play a cooperative role.

However, as the excavation project budget led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety failed to pass the National Assembly at the end of last year, state-led excavation became difficult, leading Gyeonggi Province to make a bold decision to directly proceed with the excavation.

The Seongam Academy incident involved the violation of human rights of over 4,700 boys from 1942 to 1982 during the Japanese colonial period and thereafter, under the pretext of reforming vagrants according to state policy, through forced labor, beatings, harsh treatment, and secret burials.

The Commission conducted two test excavations in September 2022 and October 2023 at some graves in the burial ground, uncovering 278 teeth presumed to be from victims and 33 personal items such as rings and buttons.

Masunheung, Gyeonggi Province’s Human Rights Officer, stated, "Due to concerns about the loss of remains caused by the long-term neglect of the burial ground for over 40 years, prompt excavation is urgently needed," adding, "We will do our best to comfort the souls of the victims of the Seongam Academy incident and restore their tarnished honor through this excavation."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has allocated a total budget of 2.25 billion KRW this year for victim support measures related to the Seongam Academy incident, including victim support funds, medical support, research on preservation and utilization of the former Seongam Academy site, installation of memorial monuments, support for memorial festivals, and excavation of victims’ remains, including contingency funds.

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