SBS program to investigate mass burials at detention facilities via inmate letter
A letter from a prisoner serving a 36-year sentence has prompted an investigation into the human rights abuses and mass burials at the Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon facility.
An inmate imprisoned for 36 years has sent a letter claiming he was forced to participate in mass burials of seven young boys and 11 others at the Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon facilities between 1963 and 1974. The SBS program 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten' will investigate these allegations of violence and forced detention.
An episode of SBS's 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten' (directed by Ahn Yoon-tae, Lee Keun-byeol, and Moon Chi-young; hereafter 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten') will reveal the horrors of a forced detention facility through a letter sent from a prison.
In March 2025, the production team of 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten' received a letter from an inmate who has been imprisoned for 36 years. The sender identified himself as a murderer who, despite being unable to leave prison again, wished to reveal the truth about "that place."
The inmate stated that he lived at "that place" from 1963 to 1974, where he received training necessary to commit crimes and traveled throughout Busan to carry out offenses. He revealed that he is serving a prison sentence for murder and that he was sent to the facility as a child for unknown reasons, where he was raised as a member of a criminal organization. He claimed that those with him at the facility were innocent children and citizens who had been kidnapped and forcibly brought there. The identity of "that place," characterized by violence, abuse, and crime, is the Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon vagrant protection facility. Remarkably, the institution was at the forefront of a "social purification movement" and held a formal contract with Busan City to take in vagrants.
The letter contained even more harrowing details. To survive, the inmate claimed he did whatever his "older brothers" ordered, including the mass burial of seven young boys who died from harsh treatment in the mountains behind the facility, and the mass burial of 11 older brothers, sisters, and men in a reed field. The letter describes a horrific practice where, when inmates died due to violence and abuse, other inmates were forced to bury the bodies. The children who witnessed the deaths of their friends had no choice but to obey any command to stay alive. If the contents of the letter are true, the human rights violations committed at Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon would be more severe than any other detention facility known to the world.
The murderer's long, handwritten letter was filled with specific details, including daily routines, duties, operational methods, floor plans, and even accounts of the murders he allegedly committed. To determine the truth behind these claims and the intent of the 50-year-delayed disclosure, the production team decided to meet the sender in person. The meeting in the visitation room was limited to 10 minutes. The shocking truth of what was confined within Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon will be revealed this week on 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten.'
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of SBS Power FM, special guests will join the program as "story friends." Actress Joo Hyun-young, the DJ of 'Joo Hyun-young at Noon,' will join Jang Hyun-sung. Showing great empathy as a professional DJ, Joo Hyun-young was reportedly shocked while reading the informant's letter.
Rapper DinDin, the DJ of 'DinDin's Music High,' will visit as Jang Sung-kyu's story friend. DinDin expressed his empathy through candid reactions, and while listening to the story, he expressed shock, stating, "It is a matter so serious that the perpetrators cannot be held accountable for their crimes."
Actor Bong Tae-gyu, the DJ of 'This Beautiful Morning with Bong Tae-gyu,' will serve as Jang Do-yeon's story friend. Speaking from the perspective of a father of two, Bong Tae-gyu showed deep empathy, unable to contain his sorrow while hearing about the violent treatment of the children forcibly taken to Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon.
The SBS 'The story of the day when the tail was bitten—A Murderer's Letter – Yeonghwasuk and Jaesaengwon' episode will air on Thursday, October 22, at 10:20 PM.
Covers K-pop for SPECIALTIMES GLOBAL, and also writes Culture and K-Variety stories.
Comments 0
Comments are currently disabled.