Gyeonggi Province Holds 11th Seonggam School Memorial Cultural Festival on October 3rd in Ansan

Gyeonggi Province will host the "11th Seonggam School Memorial Cultural Festival" on October 3rd at Gyeonggi Art Creation Campus in Ansan to commemorate victims of the Seonggam School incident and offer solace to victims and their bereaved families.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with a historical and cultural tour of the old Seonggam School path. Participants will walk the old roads where traces of Seonggam School remain while listening to explanations from surviving victims, reflecting on the history of that time.

Starting at 11:20 a.m., a memorial service for victims of the Seonggam School incident will be held at the Art Park within Gyeonggi Art Creation Campus. The memorial service will proceed with Confucian rites and a spirit-consoling dance performance to honor the spirits of the victims.

The second part of the memorial cultural festival, beginning at 1:30 p.m., will feature a memorial address and flower offering, followed by commemorative performances including joint performances by Seonggam School incident victims and farmers' dance performance.

The Seonggam School Memorial Cultural Festival has been held annually since 2016 to commemorate victims of the Seonggam School incident, offer solace to victims and their bereaved families, and raise awareness of the human rights violations that occurred at Seonggam School.

Seonggam School, which housed boys from 1942 to 1982, was a place where human rights violations including forced labor and violence occurred, leaving deep wounds for surviving victims and their bereaved families over the years.

Choi Hyun-jeong, Human Rights Officer of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Remembering the painful history of Seonggam School and commemorating the victims is a process of sharing the pain of victims and bereaved families and restoring their honor," and added, "Gyeonggi Province will not forget the Seonggam School incident and will continue efforts for victim commemoration, victim healing, and restoration of honor."

Gyeonggi Province is currently seeking bereaved families of those who died while confined at Seonggam School. Eligibility for reporting is limited to blood relatives within the fourth degree of kinship of the victim. Applications can be submitted in person or by mail year-round to the Human Rights Officer of Gyeonggi Province (031-8008-4755). Applicants must provide application forms, written statements regarding confinement (circumstances), evidence of confinement, death certificate of the deceased, family relation certificate, and personal identification documents.