Survivors of forced care facilities testify about abuse suffered as children in lawsuit
Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 13:03
Updated: 27 Nov. 2025, 16:16
![The photo shows Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, forced care facilities that operated in Busan in the 1960s. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/27/89b6b824-9fe6-4d95-a62d-f9f3d91961bc.jpg)
The photo shows Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, forced care facilities that operated in Busan in the 1960s. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY]
Survivors of Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon, forced care facilities that operated in Busan in the 1960s, appeared in court on Wednesday to testify about abuse they suffered as children. They recalled being taken off the streets and placed into institutions where they endured beatings, sexual violence and degrading treatment.
The Busan District Court held a hearing in a damages lawsuit filed by 185 plaintiffs against Korea and the Busan city government. The plaintiffs are represented by the Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon Survivors Council (translated) and the Busan branch of the Minbyun-Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon were state-run child detention and correctional facilities in Busan during the 1950s and 60s, with roots in Japan’s colonial-era (1910-45) welfare system. Though framed as social welfare institutions, they functioned more like internment centers, forcibly detaining children without due process.
Four survivors took the stand to testify about what they experienced around the age of 10.
One survivor, now 70, said they only recently told their family about what happened. Their stepmother abandoned them at Yeonghwasuk when they were 5.
“I was so hungry that I risked everything and ran away when I was 12,” the survivor said. “But I got caught and they beat me with a pickax handle.”
Another survivor, who never learned to read due to their confinement, repeated the witness oath as a court officer read it aloud.
“It still pains me that I never learned how to read,” they said. “I also saw staff sexually assault boys.”
All of the witnesses said the country played a direct role. They described a liaison office near Yeonan Pier in Jung District, Busan. When 10 children were detained, staff transported them at night to the facilities.
![The photo shows the Busan City Hall in Busan. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/27/dccb59d4-922a-4cca-8fa2-b394e2be0cf4.jpg)
The photo shows the Busan City Hall in Busan. [JOONGANG ILBO]
“When the police precinct called, the director picked up children in their car,” one survivor said.
One survivor testified that a child died after being beaten for urinating inside the facilities.
“They wrapped the body in a blanket and buried it nearby,” they said.
Another testified that authorities detained them while they were begging near Busanjin Station.
They recalled group punishments with names like “Wonsan Bombing” and “Hangang Railway Bridge,” both forms of collective beatings.
“So many people died unjustly or are still suffering,” they said. “We were hurt because the state abandoned us.”
Son Seok-joo, head of the survivors council and the final witness, said authorities apprehended them while they were delivering newspapers during school vacation.
“What scared me more than the beatings was the fear that if no one came looking for you, you might never get out,” they said. “Now, I want Korea to save us. There aren’t many of us left. Please let us die without regret.”
Attorneys representing Busan city and the country did not cross-examine any of the witnesses. The court plans to hold one more hearing before delivering a ruling.
In February, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Determined that 181 individuals suffered serious human rights violations at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon. The commission recommended an official state apology and compensation in the form of living assistance, medical support and financial reparations.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHUL-WOONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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