Gyeonggi-do to Disburse First Support Payments on 24th to 123 Victims of Seongam Academy

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Gwanggyo New Office Building

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province will make the first payment of consolation money of 5 million won and a monthly living stabilization support fund of 200,000 won to 123 victims of child human rights violations at Seongam Academy residing in the province.

This is a follow-up measure according to the 'Comprehensive Plan for Healing and Restoring Honor for the Seongam Academy Incident' announced last October. This is the first time that local government support funds have been provided to victims of state violence.

Earlier, starting from January 16, the province accepted applications for living stabilization support funds and other assistance for victims of the Seongam Academy incident who are registered residents of Gyeonggi Province.

On the 17th, after review by the Gyeonggi Province Seongam Academy Incident Victim Support Deliberation Committee, 123 people were finally selected as support recipients, excluding 8 people due to insufficient evidence, death, residence outside the province, or unknown residence.

The support for Seongam Academy victims includes ▲monthly living stabilization support of 200,000 won ▲one-time consolation money of 5 million won ▲medical service support up to 5 million won annually at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center ▲actual medical expense support up to 2 million won annually at advanced general hospitals within the province.

The province plans to provide additional support to applicants excluded from the support list if they submit additional evidence and meet residency requirements within the province. Furthermore, to discover additional victims who have not applied, the province will actively promote the Seongam Academy incident victim support project through cooperation with 31 cities and counties in the province and metropolitan local governments nationwide.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, during a visit last month to the Seongam Academy Incident Victim Support Center, which relocated to the old Gyeonggi Provincial Government building in Paldal-gu, Suwon, mentioned that the number of applicants for the living stabilization support fund is increasing more than initially expected, saying, "If the number of applicants increases and the budget is insufficient, we will find a way no matter what, so I hope everyone comes (to Gyeonggi Province). If they don’t know, we will inform them about the support project, and for those who might feel ashamed or reluctant to apply due to family concerns, we will create an atmosphere where they can speak openly."

The Seongam Academy incident was a case of human rights violations where, under the pretext of reforming vagrant children according to national policy, from 1942 to 1982 during the Japanese colonial period, over 4,700 boys were subjected to forced labor, beatings, malnutrition, and harsh treatment.

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 that Gyeonggi Province, which operated Seongam Academy, and the state, which implemented the illegal vagrant child policy, prepare support measures for the victims of the Seongam Academy incident.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon officially apologized for the state violence committed during his tenure as appointed governor when he visited the incident site 40 years after the closure of Seongam Academy in October last year. He also allocated a budget of 1.42 billion won for victim consolation money, medical expense support, installation of a memorial monument for the Seongam Academy incident, and support for memorial cultural events as part of the victim support measures.

However, regarding the excavation of victims' remains, the province stated that, as announced at the joint press conference by the governor and the chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on October 20 last year, "excavation of remains and institutional improvements will be led by the state, while victim support projects will be focused on by Gyeonggi Province." The province will actively provide administrative support in parallel once the state issues an official apology and establishes state-level excavation measures.