The Hankyoreh: “Court Orders ₩370 Million in Compensation for Seven Victims of Forced Child Detention by Seoul in the 1960s–70s.”
The Hankyoreh Article:
Court Orders ₩370 Million in Compensation for Seven Victims of Forced Child Detention by Seoul in the 1960s–70s
Original Korean article published in The Hankyoreh on July 10th, 2026.
ChatGPT English translation posted to Paperslip on July 11th, 2026.
BOLDS and blue highlighting ours.
Court Orders ₩370 Million in Compensation for Seven Victims of Forced Child Detention by Seoul in the 1960s–70s
By Lee Na-young
Updated: July 10, 2026, 4:50 p.m.
“Court: "The State and Seoul City Must Pay Compensation"
Victims' lawyer criticizes ruling: "This amounts to victimizing them a second time."
A South Korean court has ruled that the national government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government must pay a total of approximately 373 million won in damages to seven former victims—and surviving family members—who were forcibly confined and abused at a children's institution operated by Seoul City as part of its former policy toward so-called "vagrants."
The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 42 (Presiding Judge Choi Nu-rim) ruled on July 10 in a lawsuit filed by seven former detainees of the Seoul Municipal Children's Protection Center and their surviving family members, who had sought approximately 900 million won in damages from the Republic of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The court partially ruled in the plaintiffs' favor, awarding a total of 373 million won.
Individual awards ranged from 5 million won to 200 million won, depending on the length of confinement and severity of abuse. The court also awarded 15 million won in damages to the parents of one victim.
The Seoul Municipal Children's Protection Center was a facility established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government during the presidency of Syngman Rhee, ostensibly to address the problem of "vagrant children." In reality, it functioned as a facility for the forced confinement of children.
The plaintiffs were taken to the institution during the 1960s and 1970s.
One of them, Han Il-young, now president of the Truth-Finding Committee for the Seoul Municipal Children's Protection Center, spent six years repeatedly entering and leaving the institution. During that time, he says he was beaten and subjected to harsh punishments, including one known as "Wonsan bombing" (wonsan pokgyeok), a physically painful stress position used as punishment.
Other victims were forced to perform unpaid labor, such as making decorative items, and suffered physical assaults and other serious human rights violations.
In 2025, South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially recognized 19 people—including the plaintiffs in this lawsuit—as victims of human rights abuses at the Seoul Municipal Children's Protection Center.
The plaintiffs argued that government officials had either directly committed or knowingly allowed illegal human rights abuses while carrying out an unconstitutional and unlawful campaign against so-called vagrants, and that the government should therefore compensate them for the resulting damages.
The court agreed, stating:
"It is recognized that the victims were confined in the Seoul Municipal Children's Protection Center and similar institutions against their will, where they were subjected to imprisonment, beatings, corporal punishment, forced labor, and other forms of abuse."
The court continued:
"The Seoul Metropolitan Government, while effectively operating and managing the Children's Protection Center and related facilities, allowed abuses including violations of the victims' personal liberty, exploitation of their labor, and physical assaults. The national government also failed to properly supervise and oversee the actions of Seoul City."
The judges explained that they calculated compensation using approximately 50 million won per year of confinement as a general benchmark.
They stated:
"Many of the plaintiffs were around ten years old when they were forcibly confined. Even when they had parents or other guardians, they were suddenly separated from their families and forced to live in these institutions. The court also considered the emotional suffering experienced by family members as a result of the forced confinement, as well as the need to maintain consistency with compensation awarded in similar cases."
Attorney Lee Young-gi, who represents the victims, criticized the amount awarded.
"In cases such as Seongam Academy and the Samcheong Reeducation Camp, courts have generally recognized around 80 million won per year in compensation. Here, the victims received only about half that amount."
He added:
“These victims endured the same suffering as victims in those other cases. Awarding only half as much compensation amounts to victimizing them a second time. The court should keep that firmly in mind.”’
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Paperslip Note — TRIGGER WARNING:
Seongam Academy has an important historical connection to KSS, through KSS’ founder Kun Chil Paik / Alternately: Baek Geun-chil / Paik, Kun Chil / 백근칠, who was a past Vice President and President of Seongam Academy — a notorious concentration camp for boys — in the 1950s, prior to his establishment of KSS in 1964. Paperslip was the first to bring to KSS Adoptees’ attention this historical connection — as we were informed directly of this connection by sources in Korea in 2020.
In Korea, Seongam Academy is well known, but few Adoptees were previously aware of this former concentration camp for boys, which was begun under Japanese occupation, and continued under successive S. Korean governments. Few KSS Adoptees were previously aware of the connection of KSS’ founder to Seongam Academy.
You can find many posts we have made about Seongam Academy by using this search trick on DuckDuckGo (or Google).