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The victims of Seongam Academy in Ansan, where human rights violations were committed against children and adolescents by public authorities in the past, were the first to be acknowledged by the state.

The truth was discovered 40 years after Seongam Academy closed in 1982. 



Reporter Park Ye-rin.



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Seongam Academy, where human rights violations against children and adolescents occurred from the Japanese colonial period to 1982.



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee announced that it has decided to find out the truth about the Seongam Academy case.



For the first time in 40 years since the facility was closed, 166 victims have been officially recognized by the state.



[Kim Young-bae / Victim of Seongam Academy Incident: If there is an improvement plan, the effort to find it seems to have paid off.

I think it's meaningful and I feel rewarded for what I've been through...

.]



The Truth and Reconciliation Committee made it clear that the state was responsible for illegally implementing the 'vagrant policy' at the time.



Enlarging an image


At the end of last month, during the excavation of the remains for five days, 68 teeth and 6 buttons that appeared to be protozoan were found.



It is estimated that 4,689 people were detained for 40 years, and many of the 824 who attempted to escape drowned during the escape.



It was investigated that there are many victims who have gone through human rights violation facilities more than twice, such as leaving Seongam Academy and being forced to return to the Brothers Welfare Center.



Gyeonggi-do, which was the main body of the establishment at the time, made an official apology.



[Kim Dong-yeon/Governor of Gyeonggi-do: As the governor of Gyeonggi-do, I offer my deepest apologies and condolences to the surviving victims and their bereaved families who suffered great suffering from national violence.]



As a result of the survey on the surviving victims, it was revealed that most of them were suffering from severe trauma. I did.



[Chun Jong-soo/Seongam Academy Incident Victim: There are many times when I wake up screaming and waking up in shock when I sleep.

Since I came out there, the mental pain was so severe...

.]



The Commission for Truth and Reconciliation has recommended that the state enact a special law for damage recovery and compensation.



(Video coverage: Kim Seung-tae, video editing: Kim Ho-jin)