OhmyNews Article:
“From Seongam Academy to the Chandra Case...State Violence Still Persists”.
Thank you to Chang Seon Kim for the link.
Posted to Paperslip on March 19th, 2025.
TRIGGER WARNING -
ESPECIALLY FOR
KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees.
Paperslip Note:
Below is (our translation of) an important OhmyNews article which contextualizes the history of S. Korea’s most notorious concentration camps Brothers Home, Seongam Academy, and the Samcheong Education Center within S. Korea’s broader past and ongoing occurrences of human rights violations.
While the article does not explicitly mention Overseas Adoption, both prior articles by Associated Press and the ongoing TRC (Truth and Reconciliation) Commission (see links below) have proven a connection between Brothers Home and Overseas Adoption. The full extent of the connections between “vagrant facilities” such as Brothers Home and Overseas Adoption will likely never be known, due to the destruction of files by such facilities, and the falsification of Adoptees’ histories by vagrant facilities, orphanages, adoption agencies, etc.
This OhmyNews article discusses in part the infamous former Korean concentration camp (TRIGGER WARNING) Seongam Academy. To the best of our knowledge, Seongam Academy was at its MOST notorious as a concentration camp for vagrant boys in the 1970s. However, in the 1940s, KSS (Korea Social Service) Founder Kun Chil Paik (Alternately: Baek Geun-chil / Paik, Kun Chil / 백근칠) was Vice President and later President of Seongam Academy, which was founded by the Japanese during Occupation. We are not sure what Seongam Academy was like in the 1940s during the time when KSS (Korea Social Service) Founder was Vice President and later President. However, Seongam Academy is part of S. Korea’s very dark history in relation to supposed “vagrants”. This article provides critical historical background about some of S. Korea’s most notorious concentration camps: (TRIGGER WARNING) Brothers Home, Seongam Academy, and the Samcheong Education Center.
Previous reporting by the Associated Press has shown a connection between Brothers Home and Overseas Adoption.
TRIGGER WARNING:
While we cannot prove it, we at Paperslip believe that there was a likely years long connection between Brothers Home (of Busan) and Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan - Nam Kwang Orphanage was a major “feeder orphanage” primarily for Holt and KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees.
Context for KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptees:
For context, Brothers Home operated as a “Welfare Facility” between around 1975-1987, and KSS (Korea Social Service) processed Overseas Adoptions between 1964-2012. We have no way to know statistically how many KSS (or Holt) Adoptees may have come from Brothers Home. However, we believe that the vast majority of KSS children came from maternity clinics and hospitals, which had a pipeline to all of the majority Korean Adoption Agencies, including KSS.
Most evidence of the connection between Brothers Home and Overseas Adoption was destroyed by the owners of Brothers Home, though some evidence survives. This evidence is the basis of the articles below:
See:
AP Exclusive: Abusive S. Korean facility exported children
TRC confirms 31 children sent overseas for adoption through infamous Brothers Home
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Bold and red highlighting ours.
Translation via ChatGPT.
OhmyNews Article:
”Society
Korean Modern History and Past Reconciliation | Episode 2
"Collected" and Disappeared People... This Situation is "Ongoing"
From Seongam Academy to the Chandra Case... State Violence Still Persists
25.03.19 09:40 | Last Updated 25.03.19 09:40 | Kim Jin-hee (pasthistory1950)
In November 1993, a female worker near a factory in Seoul lost her wallet and couldn’t afford a bowl of ramen. She explained that she had left her wallet at the factory, but due to her shabby appearance, tired face, and poor Korean, she was suspected of being a "freeloader." The snack bar owner ultimately reported her to the police, who considered her a "vagrant." Despite her repeated claims of being "Chandra Kumari Gurung" and a worker from Nepal, no one listened.
What happened next was harsh. After being transferred to the Eastern Seoul Police Station, she was immediately confined to Cheongnyangni Mental Hospital, then moved to the Seoul Women’s Protection Facility, and finally to Yongin City Mental Hospital. What seemed like a simple misunderstanding led to her being forcibly detained for 6 years and 4 months, yet during that time, no one verified her statements. The Nepali woman Chandra Kumari Gurung was eventually called "Sunmi," a strange name, and was forced to take over twenty pills a day. The medication left her in a daze, robbing her of the chance to prove herself.
In March 2000, a doctor finally acknowledged that she was not mentally ill, allowing her to leave the facility. This incident later became known through Park Chan-wook's short film "Believe It or Not: The Case of Chandra," but most people remembered it merely as "discrimination against foreign workers."
The launch of the Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission, recognizing state violence against human rights violations in collective detention facilities, was fueled by the victim's blood, sweat, and tears.
The Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Past (hereafter referred to as the Truth Commission) was launched on December 10, 2021. It was made possible due to the persistent demands of victims seeking to uncover the truth about state violence. In particular, it focused on re-investigating human rights violations in collective detention facilities, such as the (TRIGGER WARNING) Brothers Home, Seongam Academy, and the Samcheong Education Center, which were not addressed by the first commission. This led to the official recognition that the state's actions of designating 'socially vulnerable' individuals as 'problem populations' and subjecting them to detention and violence were, in fact, state violence.
On paper, collective detention facilities claimed to provide 'protection' or 'rehabilitation.' However, in reality, they forcibly 'collected' individuals without families, those outside the social system, the poor, women, and youth, subjecting them to serious human rights violations, including assault, sexual violence, and forced labor. The terms 'vagrant' and 'truant' used during this period operated as tools for the state to justify eugenic discrimination and 'social cleansing.'
According to the Truth Commission's report, most collective detention facilities were managed directly or indirectly by the government under the pretext of 'protecting and rehabilitating vulnerable individuals like vagrants and truants.' However, in reality, these individuals were forcibly detained without due legal process, leading to forced labor, assaults, sexual violence, burial in secret, and even forced disappearances. Once someone entered these facilities, attempts to escape often led to immediate re-arrest, resulting in a lifetime of detention. This indicates that the system was designed not for welfare, but to thoroughly exclude individuals from society.
▲ Those Who Became Numbers - Oral History Collection of Survivors from Brothers Home ⓒ O'Wol's Spring
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Eugenic Discrimination – Isolation of Socially Vulnerable Groups
From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, eugenic ideologies treated the poor, individuals with mental illnesses, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities as inhumane, leading to their confinement in forced detention camps. This approach was implemented in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland, in ways akin to ethnic cleansing. Even Switzerland, known as a welfare state, illegally detained thousands of impoverished children and youth until 1981 under the guise of "Compulsory social measures and placement," subjecting them to forced labor, violence, sexual abuse, and human experimentation. Some women faced forced abortions, sterilizations, and coerced adoptions. In 2017, Switzerland enacted the "Federal Law on Compulsory Social Measures and Placement Prior to 1981" to begin addressing this dark chapter of its past.
The Dark Legacy of History: 'Vagrant Control' from the Governor-General's Office
In Korea, 'vagrant control' originated from a police decree created by the Governor-General's Office in 1912 for the purpose of maintaining colonial order. During the 1920s and 1930s, colonial authorities actively promoted reformatory facilities and relief policies to maintain public order and secure labor, defining 'vagrants' as those "engaging in or likely to engage in delinquent behavior." This set the stage for authorities to arbitrarily judge 'vagrancy' and easily target individuals for control.
After liberation, the Rhee Syngman government used 'vagrant' and 'truant' control as a primary means to manage compatriots entering from overseas and urban poor, while the Park Chung-hee regime employed it to maintain power gained through a coup. Those 'collected' under the pretext of 'urban purification' were forcibly transferred to collective detention facilities nationwide.
▲ Photo 1: Gyeonggi Province Women's and Children's Document 1485-630, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Investigation Report <Seongam Academy Child Human Rights Violation Case>, Decision Document p. 288 ⓒ Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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"Under the name of 'vagrancy,' anyone could be taken away."
The criteria for controlling 'vagrants' were absurdly vague. The abstract definition of "someone who engages in or is likely to engage in delinquent behavior" was problematic, as the government applied this definition arbitrarily, combining it with the slogan of 'urban purification,' effectively allowing for detention without any real reason.
The cases of the victims illustrate this clearly. Victim A was forcibly detained at Seongam Academy after stopping by Seoul Station to inform someone that her father's condition was critical. Victim B went to Seoul Station with her parents to find her missing brother and ended up in a city-run child protection facility. B's brother C was caught while playing with friends, taken to the same facility, and later transferred to Seongam Academy. Although he escaped and returned to his daily life, he was collected again without reason and sent to the Samcheong Education Center.
Victim D went to a police station after her mother passed away but was sent to Cheongnyangni Mental Hospital instead of receiving any protection. She was then transferred to the Seoul Women’s Protection Facility in 1984. Victim F was living in a shanty in a poor area of Suwon with her father and two younger brothers when city officials burst in and forcibly took the children. Despite her father's protests, the three siblings were sent to Seongam Academy. They could only return home after their parents personally went to Seongam to retrieve them.
▲ Photo 2: Lee Joo-sung testifying in the documentary "Island Boys," which deals with cases from Seongam Academy ⓒ Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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"Was 'vagrant control' and forced detention lawful?"
The measures of controlling and forcibly detaining 'vagrants' and 'truants' lacked legal justification. First, the absence of a clear definition for these terms violated the constitutional principle of clarity. Additionally, predicting 'criminal potential' based on factors like poverty, education, and family background violated the principles of equality and due process. Furthermore, the individuals and their families were not guaranteed the right to "minimum notice and consent."
Moreover, the state’s illegal actions continued beyond this. Detainees faced human rights violations, such as long-term isolation and forced labor, while the government either neglected or condoned these abuses. Despite various media reports and research revealing human rights violations in collective detention facilities as state violence, there has been a lack of proper action, exacerbating the harm done.
Denial of state responsibility and minimization of compensation... The state's secondary harm against victims.
With increased attention to human rights during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, cases of human rights violations in collective detention facilities began to emerge in the early 1990s through media coverage and civil lawsuits. However, there were no apologies or compensations from the state, and civil society regarded these issues as merely "sad stories of unfortunate people."
Yet, after some victims of collective detention facilities persistently demanded truth and accountability, the Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission reopened, acknowledging that the incidents at Brothers Home, Seongam Academy, and Samcheong Education Center were all illegal detentions and state violence. Nevertheless, the state continues to deny responsibility or strive to minimize compensation. Although the long-standing violence and trauma cannot be quantified in monetary terms, victims still live lives where they must continue to "fight."
▲ [Photo 3] Defendant Republic of Korea's claims in the Seongam Academy trial records, Gyeonggi Province, Source: Seongam Academy Victims' Association ⓒ Seongam Academy Victims' Association
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"Not a thing of the past, but still ongoing"
Chanda Kumari Gurung, a Nepali national, entered Korea in 1992 on a short-term industrial trainee visa. However, the Seoul Eastern Police Station classified her as a "Type 1 vagrant," leading to her confinement in Cheongnyangni Mental Hospital, followed by a diagnosis of "schizophrenia," which resulted in her transfer to the Seoul Women’s Protection Facility and then to Yongin Mental Hospital.
Ultimately, she spent over six years in forced detention from 1993 to 2000. At no point did the police, detention facilities, or mental hospitals verify her nationality or reason for entry, and the administration of medication and verbal and physical abuse were justified under the pretext of "managing mental illness." Even though the Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission acknowledged state violence, this reality did not change overnight. Victim organizations demand measures to prevent recurrence, treatment and support for victims, further truth-seeking, and official apologies, but the government and the National Assembly show little movement.
In the meantime, South Korean society is becoming increasingly complicated due to widening wealth gaps and the influx of foreign workers. Warnings have been raised that historically recurring policies of forced isolation may resurrect as another "convenient solution." The Chanda Gurung case is particularly shocking because it began in the mid-1990s and only came to an end in the 2000s. Today, anyone—whether lost, struggling with language, or appearing different—could face similar threats.
▲ Cover of <Speak, Chanda - The Life Story of an Illegal Foreign Migrant Worker in Korea>, written by Ilan Joo, Samchang, 2003. ⓒ Samchang
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"Something that could happen to me tonight"
The Chanda Gurung case is not merely an unfortunate coincidence. Over-policing by the authorities, indifference from medical personnel, and institutional loopholes in public agencies pushed one person into a state of "forced disappearance." Victims express that they "couldn’t even imagine this happening to them." In fact, among the victims from Seongam Academy, Samcheong Education Center, and Brothers Home, there were individuals who, despite having homes and jobs, were briefly detained by authorities on the street and then taken to facilities.
As of today, March 19, 2025, the denial of state responsibility for past human rights violations in collective detention facilities continues, with widespread secondary harm to victims. If societal views remain suspicious of the vulnerable and justify actions with "it’s necessary for urban purification," the possibility of similar tragedies recurring is significant. Migrant workers, people with disabilities, the homeless, and those with mental illnesses remain vulnerable to human rights violations, with inadequate structural protections. The Chanda Gurung case highlights all these realities starkly.
"We must remember those who 'exist but do not exist.'"
The moment someone is labeled as a failure, they become a person who exists but does not exist. Once inside a collective detention facility, it is not easy to return to normal social relationships, and an individual's dignity and human rights are deeply shaken.
What is now needed is to recognize the human rights violations in collective detention facilities not just as "historical issues" but as an "ongoing problem." Even after the Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission concludes its activities, it is vital to uncover additional similar cases to prevent recurrence and to thoroughly reassess related laws, regulations, and the management and oversight systems of public institutions. Ensuring transparency in facility operations is also urgent.
Furthermore, there is a fundamental need to discard ambiguous concepts like "vagrants" and "truants." Citizens should contemplate why vulnerable individuals have been pushed to the streets and how they have been marginalized within the protection system, rather than viewing them through a lens of "purification" or judging them as "undesirable." Ultimately, the indifference that neglects social vulnerabilities has laid the groundwork for state violence in the form of collective detention.
Chanda Gurung’s cry of "I am Chanda Kumari Gurung from Nepal" remains valid. There are surely people somewhere trapped in facilities and hospitals, unable to prove their existence. If this issue is not resolved, their voices will remain an empty echo forever.
Forced detention in collective facilities is not a thing of the past. We must rectify this deeply rooted issue now. Only then can we prevent the emergence of another "Chanda." The state should not push anyone into a place where they "exist but do not exist" under the guise of protecting citizens or for the convenience of the majority.
The author, Kim Jin-hee, was an investigator responsible for human rights violations in detention facilities at the Second Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently a member of the operational committee of the Seongam Academy Victims' Association.”