KUKINEWS Article: “Korean Welfare Ministry Pushes ‘Special Act’ to Support Recovery for Victims of Past Abuses in Group Detention Facilities”.
Paperslip Note:
For Paperslip pages related to Seongam Academy and Brothers Home, please click here (Trigger Warning):
Seongam Academy
Brothers Home
*Please note that KSS (Korea Social Service) Founder KSS Founder Kun Chil Paik (alternately: Baek Geun-chil / Paik, Kun Chil / 백근칠) had a known tie to Seongam Academy, which we have previously written about on Paperslip.
While there is not a lot of available written evidence (though there is some), we deeply suspect that KSS had ties to Brothers Home through Nam Kwang Orphanage in Busan.
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KUKINEWS article:
“Welfare Ministry Pushes ‘Special Act’ to Support Recovery for Victims of Past Abuses in Group Detention Facilities
State to Take Responsibility for Remaining Lives of Victims from Seongam Academy and Brothers Home
Article approved: 2026-02-20 11:18:40
Reporter Shin Dae-hyun
sdh3698@kukinews.com
The government is moving to enact a special law to support recovery for victims of human rights violations—including physical and sexual abuse—that occurred in past group detention facilities for children and the homeless, such as Deokseongwon and Seongam Academy.
On the 20th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will begin pan-government efforts to support recovery for victims of human rights abuses that took place in former child welfare and homeless facilities.
To this end, the government plans to establish an inter-ministerial task force on historical issues and pursue special legislation that would enable surviving victims of facilities such as Brothers Home to receive living expenses and medical support for the remainder of their lives.
Recently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea announced that its investigation into 12 cases involving child welfare facilities, homeless shelters, and overseas adoption processes confirmed the occurrence of human rights violations. The cases identified by the Commission include: Seongam Academy, Brothers Home, Seosan Pioneer Corps, Seoul Vagrant Facilities, Seoul Eastern Women’s Technical Institute, Seoul Municipal Rehabilitation Center, Seoul Hope Juvenile Reformatory, Busan Deokseongwon, Mokpo Dongmyeongwon, Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, Seoul Municipal Child Protection Center, and irregularities in overseas adoption processes.
Many of the victims remain socially vulnerable. As they age, they face deteriorating health and economic hardship, among other difficulties. Despite this, victims have had limited avenues for relief other than filing state compensation lawsuits. Even when recognized as victims, no separate support or compensation system was put in place afterward. In some cases, even when victims won state lawsuits and received damages, they were excluded from various welfare benefits.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been discussing pan-government support measures for these historical injustice victims and plans to launch a task force under its leadership within this month. Although the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has traditionally handled compensation and honors related to past injustices, victims have emphasized the urgent need for welfare benefits, leading the Welfare Ministry to take a leading role in these efforts. The task force will push for the enactment of the special law and oversee the establishment of a support system afterward.
Through the special law, the Ministry plans to review institutional support measures at the pan-government level for victims, including:
Establishing legal grounds for compensation
Providing government support programs such as living expenses, medical costs, and mental health care
Granting special eligibility provisions within the welfare system
It also aims to create a legal foundation for sustainable community-based support programs.
Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong stated, “In cooperation with relevant ministries, we will do our utmost to ensure that victims can heal from the wounds of the past and receive the support they need within their communities.”’