State Ordered to Pay 780 Million Won in Compensation to Victim of Forced Labor at Seon-gam Academy After Korean War

A court has ruled that the state must pay a total of approximately 780 million won in compensation to a victim who was detained at Seon-gam Academy for 10 years following the Korean War, where he was subjected to forced labor and abuse.

In March, Judge Kwak Gyeong-pyeong of the Seoul Central District Court, presiding over the 941st Civil Division, ordered the state and Gyeonggi Province to jointly pay 286 million won to the victim, identified as A.

As A had already been awarded 500 million won in a previous lawsuit finalized last September, the total compensation amount has reached 786 million won.

Seon-gam Academy was a facility for vagrant children located on the island of Seon-gam in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.

Although it opened in 1942 during the Japanese colonial period, jurisdiction was transferred to Gyeonggi Province in 1946 after liberation, effectively placing it under state operation.

At the time, the government forcibly detained children at Seon-gam Academy as part of measures to maintain public order and eradicate vagrancy, as the number of children separated from their families and left unprotected due to the Korean War had surged.

The detained children were forced into unpaid labor in an isolated environment and subjected to abuse, including physical violence.

More than 4,000 boys were taken to the facility, and hundreds of them lost their lives.

A was detained at Seon-gam Academy for about 10 years, from September 1955 to August 1965, shortly after the Korean War.

He was 8 years old at the time and was forced to perform labor such as picking mulberry leaves for sericulture and farming in the fields.

During his detention, A suffered a spinal injury due to physical assault and has since experienced aftereffects, including nightmares and sleep disorders caused by trauma.

The court recognized the liability for damages caused by the joint illegal acts of the Republic of Korea and Gyeonggi Province.

The court stated, "It can be acknowledged that the defendant, Gyeonggi Province, infringed upon the children's physical freedom and exploited their labor while operating Seon-gam Academy, and the defendant, the Republic of Korea, failed to manage and supervise these actions by Gyeonggi Province."

The court further emphasized, "The forced detention at Seon-gam Academy was a grave human rights violation carried out over a long period with the active involvement of the state and local government," adding, "The degree of illegality is severe, and there is a significant need for deterrence and prevention to ensure that similar human rights violations do not occur again."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.