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The Samchung re-education camp was a South Korean concentration camp set up during the early 1980s under the rule of military dictator Chun Doo-hwan. More than 60,000 people—with estimates up to almost 100,000 people, many of them innocent civilians—were arrested without warrants and faced violent treatment in such camps.[1] The camp was located in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.[3][4]
| Samchung re-education camp | |
|---|---|
| Indoctrination camps, labor camps | |
| Coordinates | 38°06′N 127°05′E / 38.100°N 127.083°E |
| Location | Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea |
| Operated by | Government of South Korea |
| Operational | 1980–1981 |
| Number of inmates | 60,000–100,000+ (peak)[1] |
| Killed | at least 339 [2] |
| Samchung re-education camp | |
| Hangul | 삼청교육대 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 三清教育隊 |
| Revised Romanization | Samcheong Gyoyukdae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Samchung Kyoyuktae |
History edit
In August 1980, under the South Korean military junta, Samchung served as a prison camp for critics of the new military regime and people considered to be a "social ill".[1] This included participants of the notable Gwangju Uprising.[3]
Within a span of six months, more than 40,000 people, many of whom had clean criminal records, were forced into hard labor or faced physical violence by the military, with some of them dying due to ill-treatment.[5]
There were four categories in the camp, A, B, C and D. Each letter corresponded to the severity of treatment an interned person would receive in the camp, with A being the most severe and D the least.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "S. Korean junta punished civilians with military camp in early 1980s: Report".
- ^ ""진상규명도 안됐는데 삼청교육대 복무자가 총리라고?"". Naeil Shinmun. 16 February 2015.
- ^ a b Jung, Dae-ha (18 May 2021). "Documents reveal Gwangju Uprising protesters were sent to Samchung Reeducation Camp". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "National Human Rights Commission of Korea Recommended Equal Compensations for Foreign Victims of "Samchung Re-education Camp"". Hurights Osaka. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Stokes, Henry Scott; Times, Spec Ial To the New York (1981-09-20). "Seoul Said to Hold 15,000 in Camps Without Trial". The New York Times.
