Gyeonggi Province will hold the 10th Seongam Academy Memorial Culture Festival on September 27 at the Gyeonggi Creative Campus, the former site of Seongam Academy.
Seongam Academy was an institution where, under state direction from 1942 to 1982, children and adolescents were confined and subjected to forced labor, violence, and other human rights abuses. Since 2016, Gyeonggi Province has continued to organize this memorial festival to ensure this historical tragedy is not forgotten and to restore the honor of surviving victims. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event.
Through this event, Gyeonggi Province aims to commemorate the victims of the Seongam Academy incident, comfort the surviving victims, and share a message of healing and reconciliation with the residents of the province.
About 300 people, including victims and bereaved families of the Seongam Academy incident as well as Gyeonggi Province residents, will attend the event, which will be divided into two parts. The event is hosted by Exciting Culture School and sponsored by Gyeonggi Province.
The first part of the event will begin at 10 a.m. with a "historical and cultural tour." The starting point is the dock where the victims of the Seongam Academy incident first arrived on Seongam Island. Participants will walk along the old path of Seongam Academy, listening to explanations directly from a surviving victim, and upon arrival at the Gyeonggi Creative Campus, they will take part in a "memorial ritual" to honor the victims.
The second part will begin with the official opening ceremony of the Seongam Academy Memorial Culture Festival, followed by memorial speeches and a flower-laying ceremony. The subsequent cultural and artistic program will feature performances including drumming, dance, and choir, the reading of letters, and a play involving surviving victims. All of these performances share the common theme of recalling the history of Seongam Academy and conveying messages of healing and reconciliation.
This year’s festival is especially significant as it marks meaningful turning points, such as Gyeonggi Province’s decision to withdraw its appeal in the Seongam Academy lawsuit and the completion of the exhumation of victims’ remains.
Choi Hyunjung, Director of Human Rights at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We hope this memorial festival will become an opportunity for many people to empathize with the painful history of Seongam Academy and to create a space for healing and unity," adding, "We will continue to provide sincere administrative support and assistance for the surviving victims."
Meanwhile, as part of this year’s support measures for victims of the Seongam Academy incident, Gyeonggi Province is providing victim support payments and medical assistance, as well as carrying out projects such as the exhumation of victims’ remains and the preservation of the former site.
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