53-Year-Old Dies from Esophageal Cancer
Partial Win in Compensation Lawsuit, but State Appeals
Kim Dae-woo, a victim of the Busan Brothers Home incident, passed away after battling illness without receiving an apology or compensation from the government.
On the 9th, Yonhap News reported, citing statements from the survivors' group of the Brothers Home incident, that Kim Dae-woo died at his home in Busan at the age of 53 the previous morning. Kim, who suffered from esophageal cancer, was recuperating at home after receiving treatment at a hospital.
The late Kim Dae-woo (left), who fought for the truth behind the Hyeongjebokjiwon case [Photo by Hyeongjebokjiwon Case Victims' Survivors Association, Yonhap News]
Born in 1971 in Busanjin-gu, Busan, Kim was first taken to the Brothers Home in 1981 after police told him and his brother, who were playing on the street, to "follow them," passing through a police box. After that, he was admitted and discharged repeatedly, being confined at the Brothers Home three times in 1981, 1982, and 1983. During his lifetime, Kim testified that he endured all kinds of harsh treatment at the Brothers Home, including red pepper powder torture, beatings, and labor exploitation. Even after leaving the Brothers Home, he suffered from trauma and endured pain caused by misunderstandings and prejudices, such as being labeled a "gangster" due to the stigma of being a former Brothers Home resident.
At the end of last year and earlier this year, the Seoul Central District Court and Busan District Court each ruled that the state was liable for damages related to the Brothers Home incident. In February, the Busan District Court partially ruled in favor of 70 victims of the Brothers Home, including Kim, in a lawsuit seeking damages against the state and Busan City, recognizing compensation for emotional damages. However, the government appealed the first-instance ruling, and Kim passed away without receiving an apology or compensation from the state.
The Brothers Home, located in Jurye-dong, Buk-gu, Busan (currently Jurye-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan), was a forced confinement facility operated from 1975 to 1987. Although it was known as an institution for the crackdown and confinement of vagrants, in reality, even people with families were indiscriminately taken, beaten, forced into labor, and if residents died, they were secretly buried. Human rights abuses at this facility became publicly known in March 1987 when one resident died from staff beatings and 35 residents staged a mass escape. From 1975 to 1986, approximately 38,000 people were confined at the Brothers Home, with 657 deaths recorded among them.
Kim’s funeral was held at the Good Funeral Hall in Dongnae-gu, Busan, and the funeral was conducted by his family and the survivors' group of the Brothers Home incident as a collective funeral.
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