Gyeonggi-do Provincial Support 'Seongam Academy' Victims Increase to 251

More than 250 victims of the "Pengam Academy Children's Human Rights Violation Case," in which Gyeonggi-do Province provides its own consolation money and living stability support.

According to the province, as of the end of September, 251 people were affected by the case of Seongam Academy, up 57 from 194 at the end of last year.

Since January last year, the province has been paying 5 million won in consolation money (one-time payment) and 200,000 won in monthly living stability support to victims of the Seongam Academy case after reviewing by the Damage Support Review Committee.

The case of Sungam Academy is the first local government-level subsidy for victims of state violence.

Victims will be provided with medical services at Gyeonggi Medical Center within the limit of 5 million won per year, and medical expenses of 2 million won per year will be paid if they use a senior general hospital in the province.

Initially, the province set 226 applicants for this year's past affairs reorganization committee for truth and reconciliation, but 25 more than expected.

Accordingly, 186 million won was set aside in the supplementary budget to increase this year's project cost to 958 million won.

The age of 251 applicants is 125 in their 60s, with 76 in their 70s, 37 in their 50s, and 13 in their 80s.

Among them, 77 people were eligible for basic living, accounting for more than 30% of the total.

Seongam Academy has been established and operated in Seongam-do, Ansan since 1942, during the Japanese colonial period, and is a camp that forcibly admitted children and teenagers aged 8 to 18 and trampled on human rights such as labor, assault, abuse, and torture.

Human rights violations were reported to have continued until the jurisdiction was transferred to Gyeonggi Province in 1946 and closed in 1982, and many of the 834 people who attempted to escape from the island fell into the sea and died.