Discrimination against people
affected by leprosy
(Hansen’s Disease) in Korea
SANG KWON JUNG, IDEA KOREA
STATE OF HANSEN’S DISEASE (HD) IN KOREA
HISTORY OF HD IN KOREA
WHAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP
THE STATE OF HD IN KOREA
Medical Aspect
12 New patients (Jan 2008~present) the
disease itself does not pose a
contagious risk
Economic Aspect
People once affected by Hansen’s
Diseases are achieving economic
independence through farming
activities
Social Aspect
Discrimination from society is continuing
According to the 2005 report titled
‘The Report of the state of Human
Rights of people affected by Hansen’s
Disease’, it is evident that prejudice
exists
“Would you use facilities such as public
bath houses and hairdressers if they
were also used by people affected by
Hansen’s Disease?”
19.6%: I would use it
50.8%: I wouldn’t want to use it very much
28.1%: I would never use it
“If a family member were to marry a
person affected by HD, what would
you do?”
7.1%: I would accept them
86.7%: I would disagree with it
6.2%: I don’t know / No response
THE HISTORY OF HD IN
KOREA
The Forced Isolation Era (1913~1963)
1392~1897
Discrimination against people with HD has been
recorded since the Joeson Dynasty
1910~1945
During the Japanese occupation of Korea, medical
reasons were used to spread institutional
discrimination and exclusion nationwide
The Forced Isolation Era (1913~1963)
1913~
Forced isolation was initiated, but the goal of
isolation was not for medical treatment but to limit
infection
Patients did not receive appropriate treatment
and were forced into labor, and the mortality of
patients was very high as a result
The Forced Isolation Era (1913~1963)
In addition, social prejudice about the disease
became more widespread and gained legitimacy
through medical authorities
It can be reasoned that these policies
were substantial in influencing the
mass murder of HD patients throughout
Korea by civilians in the 1950s
MASS MURDER OF HD
PATIENTS
Between 1945 and 1957, over 300 HD
patients were murdered by hospital
workers, police, army and civilians over
11 incidents
• Aug,
1945
• Sorok
Island Hospital Incident
• Workers
of the hospital feared losing
control to HD patients, and 84 patients
were murdered as a result
The Memorial Monument for 84 people who were murdered
at Sorok Island
• June,
1947
• An-dong
Incident
•3
Child Abduction Suspect
HD patients suspected of abducting
a child were murdered by police
officers without due process
• Sep,
1949
• Mu-an
• While
Incident
attempting to quell violence
after a prison escape, 40 people
affected by HD living nearby were
murdered
• 1950~1953
• Incidents
• The
during the Korean War
South and North Korean army,
police, and due to communism,
around 150 HD patients were
murdered over 7 incidents
• Aug,
1957
• Sa-chon
• To
Bi-to-ri Incident
preserve food supplies, residents of
an island ambushed and attacked HD
patients living on the island, resulting in
30 deaths and tens of injured
Relative Isolation Era (1963-present)
Enactment of resettlement village policies
Korea abolished forced isolation policies, and
made it possible for people affected by HD to
become economically independent in
resettlement villages, called the ‘Resettlement
Village Policy’
Relative Isolation Era (1963-present)
It is recognized that HD is not highly contagious
but the isolation policy was also a product of the
fact that the Korean Government did not have
resources to accommodate people in
appropriate facilities
Relative Isolation Era (1963-present)
Also, it was hoped that if they achieved economic
independence, prejudice about them would
decrease, so they achieved economic
independence through farming activities
Relative Isolation Era (1963-present)
However, the socially embedded prejudice and
discrimination against people affected by HD
continued to persist
As a result, resettlement villages constructed after
the abolishment of forced isolation policies had
the effect of limiting true social reintegration
DISCRIMINATION RELATED
TO HD IN KOREA
Institutional Discrimination
Sterilization and Abortion
Sterilization and abortion practices from the
Japanese occupation which persisted after
liberation
According to an annual report by the Sorok Island
Hospital in 1958, 1,191 HD patients received
sterilization procedures from 1949 to 1958
The sterilization operation room at Sorok Island
Institutional Discrimination
Forced separation of children from HD patients
Even if HD patients were able to have a child, they
were not allowed to live together and had to be
sent to a state institution
Children separated from their parents
Institutional Discrimination
Forced Isolation and Relocation
The policy of forcibly placing HD patients in
isolation was carried over from the Japanese
occupation, and even after liberation, was
continued by the Korean government until the
1980s
Institutional Discrimination
Forced isolation and forced relocation
Despite the rehabilitation village system being
established in 1963, the national policy was to
force people affected by HD into Sorok Island
The policy remained in effect until 2005
Discrimination in the Media
There have been public messages spreading
prejudice and fear about HD from the beginning
of the Japanese occupation
This continued even after liberation, and because
of this people affected by HD face prejudice on a
regular basis
Discrimination in the Media
Such messages portrayed the HD community to
be a dangerous threat to society and favored
forced isolation of HD patients
In the 1990s, a rumor placed the responsibility of
kidnappings in the city of Daegu on people
affected by HD, causing great harm to the people
affected by HD in the community
Discrimination from Society
Discrimination in the school system
There have been incidents across South Korea
where parents have refused to have their children
attend schools with children of people affected
by HD during the 1970s
Discrimination from Society
Discrimination in hiring practices
If a candidate is known to have HD, it becomes
extremely difficult to obtain the position
Discrimination from Society
O-mado land reclamation incident
A land reclamation project was started, to enable
people affected by HD to have self sufficient food
supplies, but because of protest and action from
local residents and politicians, the land from the
project was expropriated
O-mado land reclamation project
Discrimination from Society
Difficulties using public facilities
Many people affected by HD have the
experience of being refused entry into public bath
houses, hairdressers, and restaurants
EFFORTS TO COMBAT
DISCRIMINATION
Change of Terminology
There has been a continuing effort to
alter the terminology, and in
December 1999, at a general meeting
of the Korean National Assembly, a
matter was passed to use the term
‘Hansen’s Disease’ instead of the term
‘leprosy’
Change of Terminology
After this, there was an effort to
monitor the abasement or the use of
false information regarding people
affected by HD
Investigation of the human rights of
people affected by HD
National-level investigation of the
human rights violation of people
affected by HD for the first time in 2005
Establishment of the special law for HD
patients
In 2007, a special law protecting the
human rights of HD patients was
passed through the National Assembly
of the Republic of Korea
Coming out
People affected by HD who were
active in society began to express their
experience of having the disease
An example is Mr. Doo Sung Lim who
received recognition for services to
improving the human rights of people
affected by HD in 2008 and was
elected as an assembly man of the
Republick of Korea
CONCLUSION
As a result, there is a need to develop
tools to uproot the prejudice and
discrimination against people affected
by HD
There are continuing efforts to develop
an array of such tools in Korea to
change social perceptions
The medical and institutional issues
around HD have been largely resolved
The prejudice and discrimination in
common society is deeply rooted
Because of this, the true social
reintegration of people affected by
HD is still far off
End