"It's Private" to a Courageous Voice... 'Human Rights' Heading in the Wrong Direction

In November of the year before last, a 30-year-old Algerian national identified as A, who was staying at the Hwaseong Foreigners' Detention Center, filed a state compensation lawsuit against the South Korean government worth 3 million won late last year, claiming to have been assaulted by a social service agent.

A claimed that the agent headbutted and grabbed A by the back of the neck because A did not comply with instructions to go inside the PC room.

In June of this year, the prosecution summarily indicted the social service agent on assault charges, seeking a fine of 500,000 won.

Viewing the CCTV footage analysis data from that time as core evidence for the compensation lawsuit, A applied to the court to submit the data, and the court accepted this, ordering the South Korean government to submit it last July.

[A / Victim of Assault at Hwaseong Foreigners' Detention Center: I don't want people to believe my words just because I am a victim. I want the CCTV to speak for itself.]

However, the government appealed the order, refusing to comply on the grounds that there is no obligation to submit it under the Civil Procedure Act and that it is not necessary evidence for determining state liability for damages.

Kim Jin-joo, the victim of the Busan roundhouse kick case who filed a state compensation lawsuit arguing that shoddy investigations by investigative agencies worked to the perpetrator's advantage, experienced something similar.

Kim's side requested the perpetrator's DNA appraisal data, stating it was necessary for the state compensation lawsuit, but most of the documents sent by the prosecution were blacked out, making it impossible to check the core details.

They cited privacy protection and investigative security as reasons, but it is difficult for the victim to accept.

[Kim Jin-joo / Victim of Busan Roundhouse Kick Case: We aren't even main characters, we're extras. Victims can't get information anywhere. (It feels like the state) is treating us like cargo...]

[Oh Ji-won / Lawyer: Even for evidence that victims must secure to receive remedy for their rights, (the courts and prosecutors) solely decide at their discretion whether to give it or not, causing considerable difficulties.]

Experts point out that when a crime is proven and a lawsuit against the state proceeds, relevant system improvements are necessary in the direction of substantially guaranteeing victims' rights.

Refusing Court Order to "Produce CCTV"… Outrage Over "Victims Treated Like Cargo" (Sep. 6, 2026, 8 News)

Reported by Je Hee-won | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Camera by Lee Moo-jin | Video by Lee So-young | Design by Lee Jong-jung | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.