SOUTH KOREA: Hit movie triggers public outrage over sexual abuses against disabled children

Record ID: 521743

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Hit movie triggers public outrage over sexual abuses against disabled children
  • Date: 19th October 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 19-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN LEEM SAE-BYEOL SAYING: "I got very angry. I even got angrier when I knew those criminals were all released. And I am totally furious that this story came to light this late." PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THEATER AFTER WATCHING MOVIE 'DOGANI' (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 53-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREA JEONG OH-BOK SAYING: "This is a first step toward
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: People
  • Reuters ID: LVA65LYRL9GA01GET5JI41DK9IFT
  • Story Text: South Korea's hit movie based on a true story of disabled students, who were molested by their teachers, has brought a public outcry askingfor a stronger punishment on the past crimes.
    The film by the name "Dogani", or "The Crucible," is based on a true story about a new teacher at a school for deaf children who discovers that the principal and teachers abuse the students. The crimes take place over a number of years from 2000.
    The new teacher decides to help the students by revealing the truth about the situation at the school.
    The film has prompted a public outcry in South Korea. Equally as shocking for the more than 4 million viewers of the film were light punishments handed out to the convicted offenders.
    "I got very angry. I even got angrier when I knew those criminals were all released. And I am totally furious that this story came to light this late," said 19-year-old Lee Sae-byeol after watching the movie.
    Five school officials were indicted, but only two of them received jail terms of 20 months and 2-1/2 years. Of the remaining three, two were given suspended sentences while the other was acquitted.
    53-year-old Jeong Oh-bok said it was worth seeing the movie:
    "This is a first step toward the truth. It's a starting point. We didn't know about this dark side of our society, so this should be widely politicized. Now we know the truth. I do appreciate those for making this good movie," said Oh.
    The box-office hit is based on the bestselling book written by Kong Ji-young, one of the most respected female writers in the country.
    Gong said a newspaper article recounting the court scene when the light sentences were delivered inspired her to write the story.
    "The last words (of the article) read 'the courts were filled with the strange, anguished groaning of the hearing-impaired people. It made me wonder what it would sound like, but for some bizarre reason, I could actually hear them in my imagination," Gong told Reuters.
    She has vowed to fight to the end to change what she says are the country's tragically out-dated and weak laws.
    "I don't know if these laws could be reformed by this outburst of interest, but when people take interest and step forward for the progression of our society, I will be honoured as the author," said Gong.
    Gong, 48, has a powerful supporter in her quest to toughen the punishment for sex offenders -- the country's president, Lee Myung-bak.
    After watching the film, Lee said society needed to be more conscious of sexual crimes against the disabled, and that he would work to better protect people with disabilities and minors from becoming victims of such crimes.
    The film and book revisit the serial rapes of deaf students by teachers at Inhwa School in Gwangju, 330 km southwest of Seoul, over a period of five years.
    Some of the graduates of the school, who were gathered in front of parliamentary building with other disabled people, testified what they saw and experienced and pledged to fight against those teachers who were able to escape from heavy punishment.
    "The movie showed only some parts of what happened; the students were beat up often. According to my friend's stories, they were beaten badly and stripped by force. They wanted to report it to the police but couldn't, but through movie they now are able to fight for their sake," said Yang Kil-seok, one of the graduates of the controversial school, in silence language.
    The school's principle, one of the school officials indicted for abusing deaf students, died of cancer in 2009.
    "He (the principle) is dead, but he had done many wrong things. We couldn't study properly and those incidents happened a lot. I still want to legally punish him even though he's dead," said Kang Bok-won, another graduate, in silence language.
    The government has proposed a series of amendments which are pending debate in parliament.
    The country's leading newspapers have given the movie blanket coverage. The Korea Herald said in an editorial it had "turned the nation into a cauldron of seething public outrage."
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