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The Horrific Korean Boarding School That Abused Disabled Students

Rotten Mango・79 minutes read

Students at a boarding school for disabled children in South Korea face horrific abuse, including assault, starvation, and exploitation, leading to public outrage, legal changes, and media exposure, with perpetrators facing minimal consequences and victims struggling with trauma and stigma. The abuse was orchestrated by powerful individuals, leading to protests, arrests, and a trial that highlighted systemic issues in South Korea's legal system, prompting national outrage and calls for justice for vulnerable victims.

Insights

Students at a boarding school for disabled children in South Korea faced severe abuse, including assaults by teachers, starvation leading to extreme measures like eating wallpaper, and mysterious disappearances of pregnant students.
A bus driver, despite societal norms and powerlessness, took it upon himself to gather evidence of abuse at the school for 20 years, meticulously documenting the atrocities in black journals, facing coercion and threats when trying to raise awareness.
The abuse scandal at the school, controlled by a powerful family, involved a culture of fear, exploitation of state funding, and manipulation of vulnerable students, leading to a lack of support from authorities, teachers, and the police, with victims enduring trauma and retaliation even after the exposure.

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Recent questions

What inspired the movie "The Silenced"?
The abuse at a boarding school.
Who gathered evidence of abuse for 20 years?
The bus driver.
What did the Inwa family control?
The school.
How did the victims seek justice?
Through protests and media exposure.
What legal challenges hindered justice?
Legal limitations and ableism.

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Summary

00:00

Abuse at South Korean boarding school

Lee, a 13-year-old girl living in a boarding school for students with disabilities in South Korea, sneaks out at night to meet journalists.
Students at the school are petrified at night, fearing assaults and abuse, often unable to sleep.
Lee reveals to journalists the abuse students face, including assaults during movie time by teachers.
The school has multiple abusers, including a principal known as "the Pervert" who traps and assaults students.
A friend of Lee's was ambushed, hog-tied, and assaulted by teachers for 15 hours as a "lesson."
Pregnant students mysteriously disappear from the school, leaving behind no trace.
Students at the school are starved, forced to fight for scraps of food, leading to one girl eating wallpaper and being pushed off a roof.
The abuse at the boarding school inspired a movie called "The Silenced," leading to legal changes in South Korea.
A book called "The Crucible" by Kung Jiang details the abuse at the school, with the movie based on it causing public outrage.
A bus driver at the school notices bruises on students, indicating physical abuse by teachers, but feels powerless to intervene due to societal norms and job security concerns in South Korea.

14:20

Bus driver uncovers abuse, faces challenges.

A bus driver overhears a young girl's abuse story on his bus and decides to take action to protect the kids.
He confronts the vice principal about the abuse allegations, hoping for a response or action.
The vice principal dismisses the bus driver, implying he should stay silent and focus on driving.
The bus driver, feeling the need for more evidence, becomes a spy, gathering details of abuse from students daily.
He meticulously records every detail in black journals for 20 years, preserving evidence of abuse.
Stories in the journals include an art teacher forcing young girls to undress for drawings and a student being assaulted by the vice principal.
The bus driver tries to raise awareness at a company dinner but faces coercion and threats to stay silent.
Due to his low social status and lack of power, the bus driver faces challenges in being believed or taken seriously.
The bus driver seeks help from a teacher, hoping for support, but unknowingly speaks to a perpetrator who assaults him.
Teacher J, a new teacher at a school for disabled students, discovers signs of abuse and molestation within the faculty and students.

28:31

School Mafia: Abuse, Corruption, and Fear

Students at the school faced abuse and were discouraged from seeking help from teachers.
Eugene, a 10-year-old with disabled parents, was sent to the school for a better life.
Eugene was sexually abused by the vice principal, a member of the powerful Inwa family that ran the school.
Teacher J discovered the abuse and confronted the nurse for evidence, but faced dismissal.
The Inwa family controlled the school like a mafia, with family members in top positions.
Teachers were forced to pay the family and bring gifts weekly, fearing repercussions.
Abuse was scheduled, especially on weekends when most teachers were absent.
The principal and other family members were involved in the abuse, creating a culture of fear.
The school exploited its state funding, accepting donations but selling them for profit.
Mr. J sought police help, but they dismissed the abuse claims due to the victims' disabilities.

42:47

School Scandal: Victims Speak Out for Justice

Mr. J faced a lack of support from teachers, the school, and the police regarding child sexual assault in a school for disabled students.
He turned to the media, specifically NBC, with insider information on the scandal, leading to the gathering of nine victims willing to speak out.
The victims, mostly current students with various impairments, bravely shared their experiences despite living full-time on campus.
The teachers took advantage of the vulnerable students' lack of power and control, manipulating them for their own benefit.
The documentary exposing the crimes within the school did not elicit a strong public response at the time.
Perpetrators, including the vice principal, displayed shameless behavior even after being exposed in the documentary.
The vice principal attempted to coerce victims into signing a document denying the assaults, using pressure and manipulation.
Administrators resorted to extreme measures like waterboarding victims and witnesses to silence them.
The vice principal and his wife, along with other staff, denied responsibility for the abuse, resorting to manipulative tactics.
Parents and victims staged a sit-in protest demanding justice and the closure of the school, enduring harsh conditions for eight months to raise awareness.

56:44

School Abuse Scandal Unveiled in South Korea

The principal forced students at Egtim to write apology letters for egging him, resulting in dry and insincere apologies.
The principal physically abused students, blaming their parents' protests for the punishment.
Public interest and protests led to the arrest of six Inwa School administrators and teachers by Korean law enforcement.
The trial revealed gruesome details of abuse, including assaults and inappropriate behavior by the vice principal towards students like Sumin.
Victims faced retaliation if they spoke out about abuse, leading to severe physical abuse within the school.
Parents of victims, aware of the abuse, felt powerless due to their own disabilities and lack of belief from authorities.
Victims like Zoyong struggled with trauma even after graduating, fearing judgment and shame from loved ones.
Defense attorneys questioned victims' ability to love and have children if they were truly traumatized, undermining their experiences.
Sign language education at the school was inadequate, hindering victims' ability to express their trauma during the trial.
Legal limitations and ableism in South Korea's laws prevented harsher sentencing for perpetrators, despite the severity of the crimes.

01:11:41

"High-profile trial sparks national controversy"

The courtroom was filled with grief after the verdict of a trial involving victims.
Despite probation, administrators were allowed to return to the school due to no legal restrictions.
Mr. J had to flee the country after facing false allegations during the trial.
A box office hit movie about the case garnered 4.7 million viewers, 10% of South Korea's population.
South Korea's national police commissioner formed a team to investigate the school discreetly.
Public outrage led to the reopening of the sexual assault case, focusing on new victims.
Human rights attorney Mr. Lee pursued a groundbreaking case suing for mental trauma, involving underprivileged students in need of psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

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