Civilians detained at a Samcheong Re-education Camp undergo “purification education″ during the Chun Doo-hwan military regime (1980-1988). [JOONGANG ILBO]
BUSAN — Some 70 victims Chun Doo Hwan military regime's (1980-1988) prison abuse program are set to file a lawsuit against the Korean government, according to judicial officials on Monday.
It is the first collective legal action by victims of the program, whose titled roughly translates to "The Special Purification Education Program," which subjected convicted prisoners and pretrial detainees to systematic beatings and forced physical training from 1980 to 1987.
The Busan chapter of Minbyun – Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) is set to represent the plaintiffs. The organization said it voted at a meeting on Friday to designate the victims as recipients of pro bono legal support.
"The Special Purification Education Program" was a so-called rehabilitation initiative, derived from a Justice Ministry directive stemming from a martial law proclamation, issued in August 1980 by Chun (1931-2021). The proclamation had established the notorious Samcheong Reeducation Camps, which subjected civilians to forced “purification education” under the pretext of cracking down on delinquents. The prison program extended that same framework to inmates already in custody, including those who had not yet been convicted of any crime.
On paper, the Justice Ministry described the prison program as four-week sessions consisting of six and a half hours of group training and one hour of ideological education per day. In practice, survivors say it mirrored the brutality of the Samcheong camps, with guards beating inmates with clubs during physical training exercises. Many victims reportedly suffered permanent physical disabilities as a result. Testimonies from Busan-area victims describe being subjected to violent abuse at a juvenile detention facility in Bugok-dong, Geumjeong District, under the guise of training.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ruled in March 2025 that the program constituted a human rights violation, after reviewing cases submitted by 30 victims in a filing title translates to “Human Rights Abuses Through Purification Education in Correctional Facilities." The commission confirmed the victims' accounts and called on the state to issue a formal apology and take steps to provide redress.
The Busan lawsuit follows successful compensation claims by survivors of other state-run abuses from the same period, where courts recognized state liability for similar abuses.
“Just as victims of the Brothers Home and other facilities have been recognized for state compensation, survivors of the prison purification education program are pursuing redress along the same lines,” a representative from the Busan chapter of Minbyun said. “The specific schedule and procedures for the lawsuit will be decided soon after further discussion.”
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.
댓글
0