Sat Mar 01 07:05:29 UTC 2025: ## Netflix’s “Squid Game” Exposes South Korea’s Dark History of Brutality Against the Poor
**Seon-gam Island, South Korea** – The global popularity of Netflix’s “Squid Game” has inadvertently shone a light on South Korea’s brutal past treatment of its poor and homeless population. The show’s dystopian depiction of impoverished individuals competing in deadly games has sparked a renewed focus on real-life institutions like Seon-gam Academy and Brothers Home, where thousands were subjected to forced labor, violence, and sexual abuse.
Survivors like Chun Jong-soo and Pak Sung-ki, who spent years imprisoned at Seon-gam Academy on Seon-gam Island, have shared harrowing accounts of their experiences. They describe forced burials of fellow inmates who died attempting escape, constant beatings, and starvation rations. Similar horrors are recounted by survivors of Brothers Home, a Busan-based facility where thousands were kidnapped from the streets and subjected to unspeakable cruelty.
The South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission has confirmed the deaths of at least 657 individuals at Brothers Home between 1975 and 1986, and ongoing excavations at Seon-gam Academy’s graveyard are uncovering further evidence of the atrocities committed. While the Netflix series has drawn parallels to these institutions, many South Koreans argue the reality was far more horrific than the fictional portrayal. Professor Park Hae-nam of Keimyung University notes thematic similarities, highlighting how inmates in these centers were exploited as “tools for labor,” mirroring the exploitation in the show.
The establishment of these institutions, beginning in the 1950s and escalating under military rule, was part of a wider effort to “purify the streets” by removing the homeless and impoverished from public view. Police officers were even incentivized for apprehending and admitting individuals to these facilities. While “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk drew inspiration from Japanese manga, the show’s resonance with the harrowing realities of South Korea’s past highlights a disturbing truth: the fictional violence reflects a tragically real history of systemic abuse. The ongoing excavations and the survivors’ demands for a formal apology from the government underscore the urgent need for continued investigation and acknowledgement of this dark chapter in South Korean history.
First Piper 