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What if I told you that today we’re once again discovering a story from Korea, but one that turned out to be so special, and so incredible, that it inspired a successful film. A bit like Squig Game, which was made in a different form in South Korea in 1980. The Inhwa Affair is the name of the case that inspired the film. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and released in 2011.
The Korean director based Silenced (or Dogani 도가니 in Korean) on real events that took place in the 2000s at the Gwangju Inhwa school for deaf children.
the film follows the character of Kang In-ho, an art teacher who discovers that his students are being systematically sexually abused by the school’s educational staff and management.
The publication of Gong Ji-young’s novel The Crucible in 2009, inspired by these events, played a crucial role in raising public awareness. The film Silenced, released in 2011, attracted over 4.7 million viewers, provoking massive outrage and a call for legal reforms.In response to this pressure, the South Korean parliament passed the Dogani Bill in October 2011, which abolished the statute of limitations for sexual crimes against children and people with disabilities, and increased the maximum penalties for these crimes.
The Inhwa case
The film’s plot is inspired by the Inhwa case (인화교), in which sexual abuse is reported to a child victim support center. The Inhwa case, which took place at a school for deaf children in Gwangju, South Korea, is one of the most shocking and high-profile cases of abuse in the country’s recent history.
Despite evidence and testimony, the authorities initially ignored the complaints. It was only after the publication of a book on the case two years later that the subject was widely publicized. As with most famous Korean productions, the film highlights the corruption and inefficiency of the judicial system, illustrating how the powerful can intimidate the vulnerable.
Discovering abuse
Several testimonies from former students and teachers confirmed the abuses in 2005. But initially, a new teacher arriving at this school of 72 deaf students raised the alarm. Staff members subjected the victims, often unable to defend themselves because of their disability, to physical and sexual violence.
An administrative agent allegedly touched a 22-year-old student. An agent working in the school allegedly raped two boys aged 7 and 9; in addition, he kissed a 9-year-old girl. Initial investigations were hampered by the corruption and inefficiency of the judicial system, with sentences often lenient for the culprits.
According to the Gwangju City Education Office and the Inhwa School Anti-Sexual Violence Committee, a2nd grade middle school student from Inhwa School sexually assaulted two female students from the same grade during the National Games for Students with Disabilities held in Daejeon (대전) from May 17 to 20, 2010 for 4 days and 3 nights. The case was transferred to the Gwangju Police Sexual Violence Investigation Department.
According to the results of the police investigation, the attacking student raped or sexually assaulted the two female students on three and four occasions respectively in the Inhwa school dormitory, between mid-April and early May.
here we go again
However, the reaction of the Education Office and City Hall to this Inhwa incident, which came 5 years after the 2005 incident at Inhwa School, was lukewarm. Kim Yong-mok, representative of the Inhwa School Anti-Sexual Violence Committee, said that “although the 2010 incident was a sequel to the 2005 incident, the school refused a joint public-private investigation, and authorities such as the Education Office and City Hall remained passive, preventing a proper investigation into the facts”.
No teacher was punished or sanctioned for this incident. The Gwangju City Education Office has merely enquired about the incident through reports from the school, which is said to be potentially responsible. In reality, the number of victims known by the Committee is different from that known by the school and the Education Office.
According to Kim Yong-mok, the same student also sexually assaulted another 2nd year middle school student at the time, bringing the total number of victims in the 2010 incident to 3. One of the victims also claimed that a former homeroom teacher, Mr. Jeon, had assaulted her twice in 2005-2006.
Mr. Jeon had already been denounced in 2000 for sexually assaulting a 6th grader, but was acquitted by the courts on the grounds that the victim was not incapable of defending herself. He still teaches at the Inhwa school, as do the vice-principal and principal of the students at the time, who are suspected of having participated in the concealment of evidence.
Pastor Kim Yong-mok believes that there may be other as yet undisclosed victims at the Inhwa school, and that a comprehensive review of the situation is needed to protect the students.
A re-investigation of the case
A 15-strong team (5 detectives from the criminal investigation unit and 10 local police officers) carried out a re-investigation to try to obtain information about possible pressure tactics. The team was investigating whether Gwangju City Hall, the district, education offices and other government agencies may have been pressured. It was also investigating the possibility that these entities had tried to dissuade as many people as possible from telling the truth about the assaults, or even that they had concealed certain assaults. During the reinvestigations, the police arrested the teachers.
School closure
In November 2011, following a wave of public anger, the authorities officially closed the Inhwa school. The repercussions of the case also led to reforms in South Korea’s education and judicial systems. These reforms aimed to better protect the rights of people with disabilities.
The impact
Silenced has had a significant impact, raising social awareness in South Korea about sexual abuse and child protection. The film’s graphic depiction of the violence suffered by schoolchildren touched audiences deeply, arousing anger and indignation. The film also led to discussions on the need for reform in the Korean educational and judicial system.
We’re still witnessing the Korean character in action, using the weaknesses of its history to capitalize on them. Against all the odds, this works well even on an international level.
I personally recommend keulmadang, who has written a very good article on the subject, complementing our own.
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