The Chosun Daily: Abusive “Seoul City Children’s Protection Center” had ties to Seongam Academy — which we know had historical ties to KSS’ Founder Kun Chil Paik.
Plus: Information about Yeonghwasuk / 영화숙 — the predecessor to Brothers Home / 형제복지원
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The Chosun Daily Article:
“Court Orders Compensation for Child Abuse Victims”
“South Korean Government and Seoul to Pay Over 300 Million Won for 1950s–70s Human Rights Abuses”
By Kim Na-yeong
Published 2026.07.10. 21:01
Updated 2026.07.10. 21:21
Original Korean article published in The Chosun Daily on July 10th, 2026.
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on July 14th, 2026.
BOLDS and blue highlighting ours.
Please see the original article for important PHOTOS.
TRIGGER WARNING FOR DISTURBING CONTENT.
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Society | Judiciary
“Victims of Human Rights Abuses at Seoul City Children's Protection Center Win Lawsuit; Court Orders Government to Pay Approximately ₩373 Million in Damages
Children were forcibly institutionalized after being labeled "vagrants"
Subjected to beatings and other abuse
Court: "Violation of fundamental rights by the state"
By Kim Na-young
Published: July 10, 2026, 9:00 p.m.
Updated: July 10, 2026, 9:21 p.m.
A South Korean court ruled on July 10 that the government must pay approximately ₩373 million (about US$270,000) in compensation to victims who suffered human rights abuses while confined in facilities for so-called "vagrants" during the 1950s through the 1970s.
The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 42 (Presiding Judge Choi Nu-rim) ruled in favor of seven plaintiffs who had been forcibly confined at the Seoul City Children's Protection Center, ordering the Republic of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to pay them a total of approximately ₩373 million in damages.
The Seoul City Children's Protection Center was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 1958. Under the government's policy of "eradicating vagrancy," elementary school-aged children (approximately 7 to 13 years old) were forcibly confined there. At the time, police officers and Seoul city officials sent not only children genuinely in need of protection but also children simply found on the streets to the facility, classifying them as "vagrants."
These indiscriminate roundups led to severe overcrowding and staffing shortages. Children housed in the facility were subjected to serious human rights violations, including beatings, forced labor, and abuse under harsh living conditions. Similar abuses also occurred at other institutions, including the Seoul City Rehabilitation Center and Children's Village.
(Paperslip Note:
서울시립갱생원 = Seoul City Rehabilitation Center
어린이마을 = Children’s Village)
The court found that:
"The Seoul Metropolitan Government tolerated violations of the plaintiffs' personal liberty, exploitation of their labor, assaults, and other abusive acts. The Republic of Korea likewise failed to properly supervise and oversee Seoul's conduct. These constituted violations of fundamental rights resulting from a series of state actions involving a broad range of public officials."
Previously, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea recognized the seven plaintiffs in this lawsuit—as well as twelve others, for a total of nineteen people—as victims of human rights abuses at the Seoul City Children's Protection Center. According to the Commission, approximately 120,000 people passed through the institution.
The Commission also found that the Seoul City Children's Protection Center served as a transit hub, transferring children to institutions across the country, including Seongam Academy and Yeonghwasuk.
(Paperslip Note:
선감학원 = Seongam Academy
영화숙 = Yeonghwasuk
You can find many posts on Paperslip about Seongam Academy through this Google trick).
According to the Commission:
"Many of the transferred children lost contact with their families for extended periods or permanently. Some were repeatedly confined and forced to work after being transferred to other institutions."
One plaintiff, identified only as Mr. A, spent 505 days in institutional custody. Investigators found that, aside from meal times, he was not allowed to move freely without permission from the dormitory supervisor. He was repeatedly beaten by supervisors without justification and was unable to attend school during his confinement. The court awarded him ₩76 million in damages.
Mr. A's older sister, Ms. B, was also detained by police at age 12 and transferred to the protection center without any attempt to verify her parents' identity or contact them. Although she was released after only 18 days, the family reportedly suffered severe conflict after her younger brother's prolonged confinement, eventually leading to their parents' divorce. The court also awarded ₩15 million in damages to the siblings' mother for the emotional suffering she endured.
The largest individual award—₩200 million—was granted to Mr. C, who spent up to four years at the facility. During that time, he was forced to perform labor such as folding colored paper and suffered from an eye disease that went untreated.
The remaining plaintiffs were awarded between ₩5 million and ₩50 million each, with the amounts determined according to the length and circumstances of their confinement.”
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Paperslip Note:
We had not previously heard of Yeongwhasook (영화숙), so we asked Google Gemini, which answered in Korean (we translated it to English below).
Please see the sources below this translation:
“Yeongwhasook (영화숙) was South Korea’s first and largest collective confinement facility for the unhoused, operating in Busan from the 1960s until the early 1970s.
It is widely recognized as the structural predecessor to the infamous Brothers Home (형제복지원). The notorious owner of Brothers Home, Park In-keun, effectively used Yeongwhasook as a blueprint for his own facility.
Here are the key aspects of what Yeongwhasook was:
1. Establishment and Structure
The Facilities: Run by the Yeongwhasook Foundation, the system consisted of two interconnected facilities: Yeongwhasook (which primarily confined children and teenagers under 18) and Jaesaengwon (재생원, which held adults over 18). They are frequently referred to together as "Yeongwhasook-Jaesaengwon."
State Collusion: Under the military regime's aggressive "social purification" and "public order" campaigns, the city of Busan contracted the facility to sweep people off the streets. Backed by government subsidies, it grew exponentially, holding hundreds of individuals by the late 1960s.
2. Severe Human Rights Violations
Investigations by South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, alongside testimonies from survivors, have exposed the facility as a brutal concentration camp.
Forced Kidnapping and Detainment: The facility did not just target the unhoused. Police and internal roundup squads unlawfully abducted ordinary children playing in the streets, lost minors, or children selling newspapers to afford school fees—all without warrants.
Paramilitary Control and Violence: Inmates were subjected to rigid, military-style discipline. Extreme physical abuse, torture, starvation, and sexual violence were routine.
Forced Labor: Children as young as 10 were forced into grueling manual labor with zero compensation.
Secret Burials: Countless inmates died from starvation, disease, and beatings. Their bodies were wrapped in straw mats and secretly buried in nearby hills. Survivors have testified that staff forced other child inmates to dig these clandestine graves.
3. Closure and Aftermath
In the early 1970s, the facility's director, Lee Soon-young, was arrested for embezzlement, illegal confinement, and violence. The facility was officially shut down in January 1976, and many of its remaining inmates were transferred directly to other institutions—most notably, the Brothers Home, where the cycle of abuse continued.
For decades, the atrocities at Yeongwhasook remained hidden. It has only gained widespread public awareness in recent years due to the relentless advocacy of aging survivors. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has formally ruled the case a grave violation of human rights perpetrated and condoned by state authority, demanding an official state apology and paving the way for ongoing damages lawsuits by survivors.”
Google Gemini Sources:
Source 1:
Kukje Shinmun Article:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Confirms Human Rights Violations at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon… Recommends Official State Apology
Reporter Min Kyung-jin
February 26, 2025, 3:18 PM
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on July 15th, 2026.
“Truth and Reconciliation Commission Confirms Human Rights Violations at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon; Recommends Official State Apology
Reporter Min Kyung-jin
February 26, 2025, 3:18 PM
The results of an official investigation have found that serious human rights violations occurred at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, the first large-scale group detention facilities for so-called “vagrants” in Busan.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea (TRCK) held a press conference at the Busan Metropolitan Council on the 26th and announced: “As a result of our investigation into the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon human rights violation case, we have determined that 181 people suffered serious human rights violations and have made a decision to officially establish the facts.”
Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon were the largest facilities in Busan for the collective detention of people labeled as “vagrants” from 1962 to 1971. The Busan city government and the incorporated foundation Yeonghwasuk entered into a contract under which the foundation was entrusted with the guidance, protection, and detention of “vagrants.” Yeonghwasuk was a detention facility for those under the age of 18, while Jaesaengwon housed people aged 18 and older.
The Busan Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Victim Survivors’ Association held a press conference calling for a truth investigation at the plaza in front of Busan City Hall on January 4, 2023. (Kukje Shinmun DB)
After conducting witness interviews and examining various records, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified not only the 10 people who filed applications for investigation but also 171 additional individuals investigated on the commission’s own authority. In total, it made a decision to establish the facts of human rights violations involving 181 people.
The 181 individuals recognized as victims were forcibly detained through illegal and excessive crackdowns by police and the facilities’ own enforcement teams. After being confined, they suffered forced labor, beatings and other forms of abuse, sexual violence, and violations of basic human rights, including the right to education.
The commission also confirmed that Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon secretly buried the bodies of residents who died from beatings, disease, and other causes in nearby hills.
Examples of human rights violations show that, during crackdowns and detention procedures, police exercised unlawful state authority by forcibly placing people in Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon without even confirming whether they had parents or family members who could care for them. The facilities operated their own enforcement teams without legal authority, illegally targeting and forcibly detaining even children who had parents. The two facilities mobilized residents—including children around the age of 10—for various forms of unpaid forced labor.
Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon operated under a military-style organizational structure and discipline system to control residents. During this process, beatings, harsh treatment, sexual violence, and deaths occurred frequently. Residents lived in poor conditions, including substandard meals, overcrowded living spaces, and unsanitary environments. Although many suffered from various illnesses, they did not receive proper medical treatment.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that the government take practical measures to restore the victims’ losses, including an official apology, consolation payments, living assistance funds, and medical expense support.
It also recommended creating and implementing a long-term plan to treat and manage the lasting effects and trauma experienced by victims, as well as conducting excavations for possible remains in areas where bodies are believed to have been buried.”
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Source 2:
The Hankyoreh Article:
“Truth and Reconciliation Commission to Conduct Ex Officio Investigation into the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Case, Which Was Modeled by the “Brothers Welfare Center”
Passed unanimously by a subcommittee last month… Scheduled for a decision at the full commission meeting on the 18th”
Reporter Ko Kyung-tae
Updated August 10, 2023, 1:39 PM
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on July 15th, 2026.
Social Affairs · General Affairs
“Truth and Reconciliation Commission to Conduct Ex Officio Investigation into the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Case, Which Inspired the “Brothers Welfare Center”
Reporter Ko Kyung-tae
Updated August 10, 2023, 1:39 PM
Passed unanimously by a subcommittee last month… Scheduled for a decision at the full commission meeting on the 18th
Members of organizations including the National Solidarity for the Rights of People with Disabilities in Deinstitutionalization, the Past Affairs Committee of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), and Foot Action for Disability and Human Rights, along with survivors of institutional confinement, held a press conference on March 14 in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea (TRCK) in Jung-gu, Seoul, calling for the commission’s ex officio investigation into detention and confinement welfare facilities such as Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon. (Photo: Kim Jeong-hyo, Hankyoreh)
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea (TRCK) will conduct its first ex officio investigation into a human rights abuse case involving institutional facilities: the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon case, which involved Busan’s largest group detention facilities for people labeled as “vagrants” from the 1950s through the 1970s.
According to reporting by Hankyoreh on the 10th, the proposal for an ex officio investigation into Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, which passed unanimously at the commission’s Second Subcommittee on the 18th of last month, is scheduled to be voted on at the 60th plenary meeting on the 18th. TRCK Chairperson Kim Kwang-dong had effectively confirmed that an ex officio investigation would proceed after meeting in Busan on July 27–28 with Busan Mayor Park Heong-jun and Son Seok-ju, head of the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Victims Survivors’ Association, along with other survivors.
Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, operated by the incorporated foundation Yeonghwasuk, were detention facilities modeled by Park In-geun (1930–2016), the chairman of the notorious Brothers Welfare Center (1975–1987), which became infamous for human rights abuses. Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon were respectively established in Busan in 1951 and 1962. With outsourced operations and financial support from the Busan municipal government, they expanded in size and, by the late 1960s, housed approximately 400 and 800 people respectively.
In the early 1970s, Yeonghwasuk director Lee Soon-young was arrested on charges including assault, illegal confinement, forced detention, and embezzlement of government subsidies. As a result, the residents were transferred to other facilities, and the facility’s official authorization was revoked in January 1976. At Jaesaengwon, it was reported that more than 40 people—from young children to people in their 60s—were confined in a roughly six-pyeong (about 20-square-meter) room with iron bars, living in conditions resembling a prison.
The number of victims who suffered human rights violations at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon—including beatings, confinement, forced labor, sexual violence, and deaths—is estimated to reach several thousand. However, by the December 9, 2022 deadline for submitting applications for truth investigations to the TRCK, only seven people had filed claims. This was because many victims had already died, disappeared, or were still living in institutional settings and therefore were often unaware that they could apply.
The Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Victims Survivors’ Association, formed in December last year, has worked to identify previously unknown victims and urged the TRCK to launch an ex officio investigation. If such an investigation proceeds, the commission will have a legal basis to request records containing personal information—such as lists of residents—from relevant institutions without being limited to those who have filed applications.
Until this spring, the TRCK had been reluctant to accept demands for an ex officio investigation, citing difficulties in handling the large backlog of existing applications. However, the situation changed as internal investigators strongly argued that at least one ex officio investigation was necessary given the reality that a large number of people had been harmed by institutional facilities.
The ex officio investigation proposal, first discussed by the Second Subcommittee on July 4, was initially postponed once. Two weeks later, on July 18, it passed unanimously. It was reported that even previously opposing commissioners changed their positions after a proposal was made: “Because the investigation period is limited, we should select one already-closed facility case where fact-finding can be conducted relatively easily, without affecting other cases.”
Among the 25 institutional human rights abuse cases currently submitted to the TRCK, other facilities considered as possible candidates during discussions included the Brothers Welfare Center, Busan Deokseongwon, Chungnam Cheonseongwon, Daegu Municipal Hope Center, Seoul Municipal Gaengsaengwon, and Seoul Municipal Youngbo Welfare Center.
The TRCK currently estimates that more than 300 survivors remain who may be eligible for fact-finding. After Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon closed in the 1970s, approximately 305 people were transferred to Busan’s “House of Boys” facility. Recently, the TRCK obtained records of around 250 former residents from the Sisters of Mary, the organization that operated the House of Boys.
The TRCK plans to investigate a wide range of issues, including:
whether the crackdown and detention processes at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon were lawful;
whether there were problems in the use of government subsidies for food, clothing, and housing;
whether residents’ right to education was violated;
whether illegal acts such as beatings and cruel treatment occurred; and
whether government authorities, including the national government, Busan City, and Saha District Office, ignored, assisted, or concealed human rights violations.
The investigation will include interviews with major officials and employees of Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, relevant government officials, and 38 victims whose cases have been submitted to the TRCK and Busan City.
Lee Sang-hoon, a standing commissioner who chairs the Second Subcommittee, told Hankyoreh in a phone interview:
“The biggest purpose of this ex officio investigation is to expand the scope of relief available to victims of human rights abuses in institutional facilities. We want to examine how children, homeless adults (those labeled as vagrants or homeless people), and women involved in prostitution—people who were marginalized by society in the past—were treated under the name of state management. This can become an opportunity to propose national-level alternatives for vulnerable groups.”
On July 27, TRCK Chairperson Kim Kwang-dong met with Busan Mayor Park Heong-jun and requested that Busan City provide investigative personnel to assist with the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon ex officio investigation. The following day, July 28, Kim met with victims belonging to the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon Victims Survivors’ Association and stated, “Unless something unexpected happens, I believe the ex officio investigation into the Yeonghwasuk·Jaesaengwon case will be decided.”’
Ko Kyung-tae, Reporter
k21@hani.co.kr
Publication: Hankyoreh (한겨레)
Date: August 10, 2023
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Google Gemini’s original response to our question about Yeongwhasook (영화숙), in Korean:
We asked: What was 영화숙?
Google Gemini said:
영화숙(Yeongwhasook)은 1960년대부터 1970년대 초까지 부산에 존재했던 대한민국 최초이자 당시 최대 규모의 부랑인 집단 수용시설입니다.
Daum
끔찍한 인권유린으로 널리 알려진 형제복지원 사건의 '원조'이자 박인근 회장이 모델로 삼았던 시설로 여겨집니다.
한겨레
영화숙에 대한 주요 핵심 내용은 다음과 같습니다.
1. 설립과 운영 구조
대상: 재단법인 영화숙이 운영했으며, 주로 18세 미만의 아동·청소년 부랑아를 수용하는 '영화숙'과 18세 이상의 성인을 수용하는 '재생원'으로 나누어 연계 운영되었습니다 (보통 두 곳을 묶어 영화숙·재생원으로 부릅니다).
Daum+ 1
국가 공권력과의 결탁: 당시 군사정권의 '사회정화' 및 '치안 유지' 명목 아래, 부산시와 위탁 계약을 맺고 국가 보조금을 받으며 덩치를 키웠습니다. 1960년대 후반에는 수용 인원이 각각 수백 명에 달할 정도로 거대해졌습니다.
한겨레
2. 참혹한 인권 유린과 실태
최근 진실·화해를위한과거사정리위원회(진실화해위)의 공식 조사와 피해 생존자들의 법정 증언을 통해 밝혀진 실상은 그야말로 수용소나 다름없는 지옥이었습니다.
불법 납치 및 강제 감금: 실제 거리에 사는 부랑인뿐만 아니라, 부모가 있는 평범한 아이들, 길에서 놀던 아이들, 육성회비를 못 내 신문을 팔러 나온 아동들까지 경찰과 시설 자체 단속반이 영장 없이 무차별적으로 '수집'하여 강제 수용했습니다.
Daum
군대식 통제와 일상적 폭력: 군대식 편제와 규율을 만들어 통제했으며, 이유 없는 구타, 가혹행위, 성폭력이 만연했습니다.
Daum
무임금 강제 노역: 10세 전후의 어린아이들까지 아무런 대가 없이 강제 노동에 동원되었습니다.
Daum+ 1
암매장과 은폐: 열악한 환경과 굶주림, 폭행으로 사망한 원생들의 시신을 가마니에 싸서 시설 뒷산이나 주변 야산에 몰래 암매장했으며, 이 시신을 묻는 일조차 다른 어린 원생들에게 강제로 시켰습니다.
3. 폐쇄와 현재 상황
1970년대 초 원장 이순영이 폭행, 감금, 강제수용 및 보조금 횡령 혐의로 구속되면서 수용자들이 다른 시설(형제복지원 등)로 전원 조치되었고, 1976년 1월에 공식적으로 시설 인가가 취소되며 역사 속으로 사라졌습니다.
한겨레
오랫동안 베일에 가려져 있다가 피해 생존자들의 용기 있는 고발과 연대로 세상에 알려지게 되었습니다. 진실화해위는 이 사건을 국가 공권력의 묵인과 방조 속에 일어난 중대한 인권침해로 규정하고 국가의 공식 사과를 권고했으며, 국가를 상대로 한 피해자들의 손해배상 소송 등이 진행 중입니다.
Daum