Gyeonggi-do to Support Medical Expenses for Seongam Academy Victims... Up to 5 Million KRW

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will launch a medical support project for victims of the Ansan Seongam School starting this month.

On the 31st, Gyeonggi Province announced that from the 1st of this month until the end of this year, it will fully cover the out-of-pocket expenses up to 5 million KRW per person annually for nationwide victims of the Seongam School receiving treatment at six hospitals of the Gyeonggi Medical Center.

The province will first provide treatment at Uijeongbu Hospital and Icheon Hospital next month, and depending on the COVID-19 spread situation, plans to expand the use of hospitals to the remaining four hospitals in Suwon, Anseong, Uijeongbu, and Paju.

The six hospitals affiliated with the Gyeonggi Medical Center serve as secondary medical institutions and are equipped with most basic medical departments.

Additionally, for victims who have difficulty accessing the Gyeonggi Medical Center due to mobility issues, the province will operate a free mobile medical service using a medical bus that visits sites such as the Ansan Seongam School Victim Reporting Center.

Victims of the Seongam School or their bereaved families can make a visit reservation by phone (1899-7298) and then visit the center (2nd floor, Exhibition Office Building, Gyeonggi Creative Center, 101-19 Seongam-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si) to apply for victim support.

The center operates on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Since its opening on April 16, the Seongam School Incident Victim Reporting Center has received 109 victim reports to date.

The province has selected 46 individuals, who have passed verification by its own operating committee, as the first beneficiaries of this medical support project.

The Seongam School was a reformatory established in Ansan City in May 1942 during the late Japanese colonial period following the announcement of the Joseon Juvenile Act. After liberation, Gyeonggi Province took over the facility and forcibly isolated and confined homeless youth in the city under the pretext of rehabilitation and education until it was closed in 1982. Over 4,700 boys were subjected to forced labor, and many attempted to escape due to human rights abuses such as beatings and malnutrition, with numerous boys sacrificing their lives.

A provincial official stated, "Only when the victims of the Seongam School receive proper treatment and recover their health can they lead normal and happy lives within the community," adding, "We will carefully prepare to ensure that medical treatment proceeds without any issues."