Thank you to Chang Seon Kim for the article link.
This old March 31st, 2021 article has been shared to Paperslip on March 20th, 2025.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Bolds and red highlighting ours.

TRIGGER WARNING

“The Truth Foundation

Home Activity News
[Field] We have gathered every single document.
Category: Truth

Schedule: March 31, 2021
By: Lee Sarang, Head of Human Rights Project Team

On-Site Visit to Transfer Records of the 'Siloam House,' the Successor of the Brothers Home

What is the first reason that a significant human rights violation case must be revealed? Simply put, because there are victims. The need to uncover the truth of a concealed incident can be communicated by the victim themselves or may come to light by chance. We now face the task of responding to the victim’s courage and revealing the truth of the incident so that such occurrences do not happen again. So, what is the very first step in uncovering the truth of the incident? It likely starts with 'finding the records.' 

Through this, the victim's suffering can be substantiated, allowing them to confirm their own existence. It proves that the time of pain was real and that they have 'survived' it. All records hold stories about the incident. By reading and analyzing the accumulated records, we can weave together the framework of the truth regarding any incident. Thus, we begin the preparation to uncover the truth of an event by collecting 'all possible records.' This is how the first step toward uncovering the truth of an incident begins.

On March 11, (2021) the Busan Ilbo reported that the 'Siloam House' in Busan is known among YouTubers as an abandoned house or haunted place, filled with many items along with records related to the Brothers Home. The Siloam House is a welfare facility for people with severe disabilities that was operated by a foundation, which changed its name several times, including the Brothers Welfare Foundation and the Nehemiah Foundation, from 1991 to 2016.

During the report, Busan Ilbo visited the site with Kim Kyung-il, the Secretary-General of the Social Welfare Solidarity, who has been active in responding to issues related to the Brothers Home in Busan. The interior of the Siloam House was shocking. It was filled with so many documents that it was difficult to grasp the overall volume, and materials related to the foundation's profit-making activities were piled up inside the building. Even in a brief filming session, items related to the Brothers Home, as well as documents concerning the foundation’s operations and administration, were discovered.

Busan Ilbo YouTube 'Nala-LEE' Capture
Interior of the Siloam House.

Abandoned building, remaining records.

Previously, the Brothers Home Countermeasures Committee and the Busan City Brothers Home Fact-Finding Team had visited the Siloam House to secure records related to the truth-finding efforts. The primary materials secured by the committee at that time included operation documents created by Director Park In-geun and the Brothers Home’s publication, <New Heart>, mostly related directly to the Brothers Home. In 2018-2019, the Busan City Brothers Home Fact-Finding Team visited again to find additional materials, but it seems they did not grasp the entirety of the records remaining in the Siloam House. Even from what is visible in the video, the amount of 'abandoned' records inside the building was significant. After confirming with Secretary-General Kim Kyung-il, it became clear that substantial operational and administrative records remained until the corporation operating the Brothers Home was dissolved. Hidden within the vast records were likely pieces that could help illuminate the truth. It was urgent to transfer every single document to a safe location as soon as possible.

In 2014, the city of Busan ordered the dissolution and liquidation of the Nehemiah Foundation; however, due to the foundation’s appeal and delays in the liquidation process, individuals related to the Siloam House continued to come and go until 2017. However, after several years, the seemingly abandoned building was actually open to anyone. Those seeking to exploit its provocative content or simply satisfy their curiosity could enter and potentially damage the interior or leak the records inside. The cruel violence and deaths that occurred at the Brothers Home were treated as ‘material’ that incited visitors, leading to an increasing trend in their numbers.

The situation was urgent. After the report, Han Jong-seon, a survivor of the Brothers Home, discussed the power of truth regarding the 'records' of the Siloam House. The records needed to be secured as quickly as possible. As a result of discussions, Han Jong-seon strongly demanded that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Truth Commission’) and the city of Busan be informed of the situation and take prompt action. He also began to sleep in front of the main gate of the Siloam House, effectively guarding the site. On the very first night that Han Jong-seon went down to Busan, four YouTube teams visited the site. “I am a survivor of the Brothers Home, and there are records in this building that can help reveal the truth of our case. They must not disappear, so I am here to protect them.” His explanation resonated with them. The realization that there are real people behind the intriguing 'material' caused those who had come out of curiosity to turn back.

Han Jong-seon conveyed his determination to sleep in front of the main gate of the Siloam House until all records were safely transferred to a secure location. Eventually, the city of Busan responded to that demand. The Busan City Truth-Finding Committee for the Brothers Home Incident held an emergency meeting and decided to thoroughly secure and transfer all materials existing in the Siloam House, down to each individual document, and to quickly discuss preservation and research methods with the Truth Commission. The transfer of records by Busan City took place on Friday, March 19, (2021).

The Power of Truth

The main gate of the Siloam House viewed from the uphill path.

On the day of the record transfer, was the Brothers Home operated like this

On this day, the power of truth visited the site of the record transfer at the Siloam House. Arriving around 9 AM, the Siloam House in Busan is located about 27 km from Busan Station and approximately 3 km from the nearest residential area, nestled in a mountainous valley. The dilapidated main gate was overgrown with tall weeds. A long blue sign rising among them read, “Siloam House for Severely Disabled People.” After passing through the main gate, it took about 2 to 3 minutes to climb a steep incline of 50-60 degrees, and faint voices could be heard in the distance. Survivors Han Jong-seon, Park Soon-i, and Kim Dae-woo, along with Secretary-General Kim Kyung-il, had been guarding the site overnight, preparing for the record transfer. Subsequently, other survivors like Choi Seung-woo, Eom Nam-hyun, and Park Kyung-bo visited the Siloam House.

The interior of the Siloam House was just as seen in the video. The operational materials related to the Brothers Home, already secured by the committee several years prior, were still stacked in boxes. Records, including operational documents from the Brothers Welfare Foundation and the Nehemiah Foundation, were mostly classified in file folders and concentrated in a few office spaces. Upon arrival, the overwhelming volume and content of the records left little time to explore the entire building. Soon, hired workers from Busan City arrived, and we watched to ensure the record transfer was “thorough down to each individual document.” The survivors closely monitored the entire transfer process while keeping an eye on the records and the situation.

Frequent appearances of Director Park In-geun’s name were noted among the stacked documents. Before the name change to the Nehemiah Foundation in February 2014, Park In-geun was the representative of the Brothers Welfare Foundation. His name appeared in various approval documents and board meeting materials, invoking a sense of déjà vu. In 1987, when human rights violations within the Brothers Home were revealed, Park In-geun was indicted, and all residents were either relocated or returned to society. So, did the Brothers Home case conclude in 1987? The records before us seemed to cry out, “No.”

Residents of the Brothers Home, who suffered various abuses, forced labor, and malnutrition without proper educational opportunities, were either moved to other facilities or began living on the streets in 1987, without any rehabilitation or adjustment process. Some residents later entered the newly renamed ‘Re-Home’ after the Brothers Home. Park In-geun only acknowledged responsibility for some acts like embezzlement, serving a mere 2 years and 6 months in prison before returning to his position as head of a social welfare facility in Busan. This was the source of the déjà vu. The Brothers Home merely changed its name, while Park In-geun and his relatives continued to operate welfare facilities, with the city of Busan permitting it. Receiving welfare subsidies and running profit-making enterprises, the foundation was maintained. Documents revealing Park In-geun’s operational philosophy and studies related to welfare facility management were also evident among the records at the Siloam House. The Brothers Home was not run by a single devil but was maintained within the framework of the national administrative system, receiving permits and operating as a welfare facility. Understanding the operational forms of the Brothers Welfare Foundation and others through the documents and records in the Siloam House, the successor to the Brothers Home, affirmed our connection to the Brothers Home.

The Power of Truth
The interior of the Siloam House, filled with unknown items in spaces used for living.

The Power of Truth
The interior of the Siloam House, where various documents are piled in spaces used as offices. This is the state after some of the transfer has been completed.

The Power of Truth
The interior of the director's office at the Siloam House, filled with monitors used for CCTV.

Survivors of the Brothers Home, missing persons, families of the deceased, and the countermeasure committee for the Brothers Home incident truth-finding.

A document on the operation of the Brothers Home produced by Director Park In-geun: “This is how the Brothers Home was operated!”

Somewhere, it exists; more can be found.

Only then did I carefully examine the exterior and interior of the building. Broken windows, dark hallways, and a central staircase from the first to the fifth floor were piled high with grim-colored blankets. Each floor contained about 20 rooms where residents lived, along with shared spaces such as a laundry room and a lounge. Some rooms contained beds, nightstands, and storage like during the operation, but many were filled with unprocessed equipment, materials, and boxes. Some areas were difficult to open. Without proper reflection or punishment, in that very place, by those very people, and with the permission of that very government, “This is how the Brothers Home was operated.” Within the mountain of piled records, pieces revealing the history of collusion and cooperation must be hidden somewhere.

The survivors of the Brothers Home remained on site until the 5-ton truck filled with documents left the Siloam House. Their voices forcibly awakened a society that had turned a blind eye to the incident and enabled the passage of the amendment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act to conduct the first 'truth-finding investigation' regarding the Brothers Home. And the records, which hold the key to the truth, were directly safeguarded by the survivors. Now, it’s time to halt the survivors’ waiting and commence substantive activities for truth-finding, victim compensation, and prevention of recurrence.

Meanwhile, survivors, along with citizen organizations and researchers who have come together, have been aware of the issue of not sufficiently uncovering the records of the Brothers Home. The power of truth also requested records related to deaths at the Brothers Home from Busan City in December 2018. However, no response was received. Various reasons such as the records being from too long ago, having been lost, or not knowing where they are made collecting records challenging. Many survivors bearing the stigma of having come from the Brothers Home are unable to find documents that can verify their status.

It seemed that no matter how far I reached, I could never touch them, but I was able to find some records here. Looking at the Siloam House, I repeated to myself: somewhere, they exist; more can be found. This place was neither a haunted house nor an abandoned building, but a crime scene. Hidden somewhere within are the pieces that can reveal the truth of the Brothers Home incident. We must rush to find them so they are no longer neglected or lost. With that thought, rather than feeling fear toward the ominous building, my heart raced with vitality. We are back at the starting line.”