Victims of S. Korea's dark history still searching for justice

Six victims of abuse at the Brothers Home give testimony, Tuesday, during a conference at the National Assembly. Han Jong-sun, left, led the calls for an investigation into abuses at the former government-funded juvenile detention center. / Korea Times photo by You Soo-sun

In pursuit of truth, child victims demand government investigation

By You Soo-sun

Thirty years after the atrocities of the Brothers Home were brought to light, much still remains in the dark, its former inmates said during a conference, Tuesday, at the National Assembly. Six survivors from the detention center spoke of the horrors ― forced labor, beatings, rapes and killings ― that continue to haunt them, as they pleaded for justice.

The victims urged the Moon Jae-in administration to help enact a special act, proposed by 73 lawmakers including Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), to identify and punish those accountable, including those still in the government, and compensate the victims. Brothers Home was a government-funded detention center that trafficked in people for hard labor between 1975 and 1987. Often referred to as a concentration camp, the Brothers Home was found responsible for at least 500 deaths. Yet, no one has been held accountable.

Who were the inmates at the Brothers Home?

The so-called brothers were mostly children, and many had been homeless or disabled ― but others were detained for little reason, often just for being unaccompanied in public. Following then-President Park Chung-hee’s order in 1975 to “clean up” the streets, police officers and local officials picked up people from the streets to put them in 36 detention centers nationwide. They took in over 16,000 people, and two previous investigation attempts were suppressed by senior government officials according to a 2016 AP article.

The Brothers Home, which was located in Busan, was the largest such facility. It reportedly received government funding of an annual 2 billion won at the time, estimated at over 20 billion won ($17.5 billion) in current value. The funding depended on the number of inmates, incentivizing the institutions to maximize their number of inmates.

At age 10, Kim Sang-soo, now 52, was abducted at a train station while on his way to meet his eldest sister. After three years in a Seoul juvenile center, Kim was taken to the Brothers Home where he would stay another seven years.

He now drives a taxi for a living ― ironically, driving was a skill he acquired at the facility. “If it still existed, I’m afraid my driving skills would have been used for kidnapping others like me,” Kim said.

The victims believe many surviving victims still hide behind closed doors, keeping their lives as “brothers” a secret.

Kim was also one of them until few years ago when he told his family. “It took a lot of courage for me to come out to my family,” he said.

Park Soon-yi, the only female victim at the conference, was also taken there while she was out searching for her brother in 1980. Then 10 years old, Park was forced into the facility after she followed a police officer who offered her help. She followed him to a police station, where throngs of people waited until a car picked them up and dropped them at the Brothers Home. It took her six years to escape.

Also like Kim, she had tried to keep this to herself. “At first I was angry it had gotten out,” Park said, referring to a renowned television show that covered the mass detainment in 2014. She cursed and fought the man who brought this to light: Han Jong-sun, who held a months-long protest in front of the National Assembly in 2012 to make their stories known.

“I cursed him for revealing this ― for searing into my memory, but later I realized someone needed to take action,” Park said.

Park, who drinks every night to sleep ― as many other victims do to escape the bleak memories of beatings, rapes, and murders of fellow inmates ― continued to sob throughout her testimony. “Nothing will alleviate our pain,” Park said. “But it will help us to die in peace… to know some justice will be restored.”

Victims continue their pursuit of truth

This practice was first revealed in 1987, when one of the detainees’ deaths was reported in the media, followed by a mass escape of 35 inmates from the Brothers Home. The owner, Park In-kun, was indicted for forced labor of 180 inmates as well as physical assault, but attention subdued and he was never tried in court on those charges. Eventually, he got off with a two-and-a-half-year sentence for embezzlement and other minor charges.

“Five hundred fifty-one deaths, with evidence, have been revealed,” said Lee Hyang-jik, 45. “In actuality, there are probably thousands who died.”

Lee, abused from childhood by his father who later sent him to the Brothers Home, further asked President Moon for an investigation and a formal apology from the country.

“The incident wasn’t Park In-kun’s individual wrongdoing, but a nation-led crusade involving public officials, the police, even local residents.”

He also pleaded with his fellow citizens: “Please remember what happened until the truth is fully revealed. Anyone can become a victim of state violence.”