KSIS : A movie to change the world

In the greatest silence, how to make their voice heard?

Every day, we watch movies without wondering about the scope of their meaning and the impact they can have on our daily lives. There are few cases like the one we will discuss today, where a film shocked public opinion to such an extent that it allowed us to reopen a case which had been closed for some years…

TW: sexual violence on minors

GONG JIYOUNG is a famous writer born in 1963 who revolutionized Korean literature. As a teenager, she began publishing her own stories, hoping to attract the attention of publishing houses so that she could project her works under the spotlight. When it gained popularity in the early 2000s, she found her pen, as well as her favorite subjects: precariousness, discrimination, gender equality, the world of work and especially the protection of minors.

In 2009, she published the book “Togani” [Silenced / The Crucible / Dogani /도가니], focusing on the Inhwa school in Gwangju, in the southwest of the Korean peninsula. In 2005, an unprecedented scandal struck the country when it was discovered that for several years, students at this institution— 72 at the time—were being assaulted by their teachers.

Inhwa is not just any school, no. It’s for deaf students. Unable for the most part to make their voice heard on their aggressions, it is plunged in silence that they suffered rapes, touching, beatings, forced hair shavings, and other heavy abuse. Founded in 1961, it will be closed for good in November 2011. Officially, nine children filed complaints of assaults between 2000 and 2003, but many more would not have dared to speak out for fear of reprisals. In addition, no interpreter was present at the first trial to help the children communicate and understand what was going on.

The book «Togani» was inspired by this criminal case, the author seeking to challenge the people as to the sanctions that have been imposed. In 2005, when the case breaks up, it is very quickly understood that the trial is corrupt, because despite the testimonies and evidence, the accused are released and restored to their function. The book makes it possible to make the case known again, but it is in 2011 that everything changes, when the novel is adapted into a film under the name “Silenced” [Dogani], brought to the screen by actor GONG YOO and directed by HWANG DONGHYUK.

The leading role is not left to chance, because the young man already enjoys a great success. In 2007, he starred in the drama “Coffee Prince,” which made him a super star. Accustomed to flower boy roles and charmers ones, this new project full of gravity attracts a large number of Koreans, discovering or rediscovering the case. Faithful to the novel, the film retraces the journey of professor KANG INHO, played by GONG YOO, transferred to the Ihnwa school (in the fictitious city of Mujin in the book and the film). Upon arrival, he discovered that the students were being sexually abused by the faculty and management, and he rushed to help them.

« What people see in this film is a capsule version of our society» – CHUN SANGCHIN, sociologist.

The professor, having actually been confronted with these facts, alerted various organizations about human rights, but was immediately dismissed when it came to the ears of management, being also involved in the rapes. The film lists the violence suffered by children, emphasizing that the abuse continued after classes when some teachers took the students home. KANG INHO learned the abuses through the testimonies of three students, bearing the marks of beating on them, and he hastened to bring the case before the authorities.

Prominent member of the religious community in Mujin, the school principal, who is the main one involved, quickly attracted public sympathy when the news broke out, much to the dismay of the victims and their parents. And the corrupt judge does not help to shed light on the violence suffered by children: quickly closed, the case is settled, amicably, through financial arrangements. With tragic consequences: a student in distress throws himself under a train. Three of the main accused are eventually sentenced to six to eight months in prison. The film ends at the scene where Professor KANG and two of his students are protesting in front of the court for justice.

That’s where it all comes down. The film deeply touched the Korean and international audience with the sadness and compassion we feel for the students, and that powerful feeling of revolt that is born in us as we watch the film. The scenes of violence are very visual, unimplied and supported by music that highlights the cruelty and perversion shown by adults. The film had an international echo and was represented at many ceremonies, placing 4th in the world box office at its release. He was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (JUNG YUMI) and the Grand Bell Awards. He also received awards, the Public and Black Dragon Award for Far East film, as well as the Landscape Award at the 2012 Korean Film Festival in Paris. In Korea, the film is first at the box office and generates almost 6 million euros of revenue, and the book quickly becomes a best-seller, three years after its publication.

« In recent years, we have seen almost no South Korean film actively examining the state of our society as Silenced » —AHN SIHWAN, critic.

The Korean society revolts, finding justice too lenient and demands a reopening of the case. In November 2011, the Inhwa school will finally be closed and the culprits will be tried again. The then 63-year-old warden will be sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexual assault and abuse of authority, and must wear an electronic bracelet for 10 years. A legislative change is taking place and the Dogani Law will be passed in October 2011. It removes the statute of limitations for acts committed against children under 13 and women with disabilities, and increases prison sentences. In the past, the sentence could be up to seven years in prison for maltreatment of disabled persons, and up to ten years if they were children.

The penalty is therefore commuted to life imprisonment. The “impossible to resist” clause, which required victims (especially disabled persons) to prove that they were physically or mentally unable to resist their assailant, will be repealed, as it allowed too many sexual offenders to escape justice. An additional penalty will be imposed on the “leader” if the violence is committed in a group. In this way, HWANG DONGHYUK made it possible, through the art of cinema, to reopen a case that had been closed and to bring justice to children who could not defend themselves at the time. The facts are re-examined and the law is amended to allow for greater fairness for disabled people and children.

Sometimes images, here cinematographic, can be stronger than words. The film federated the energies of the Korean society, which sees in «Silenced» a revelator of the time. As Professor KANG INHO said, “The most beautiful and precious things in the world cannot be seen or heard, but only felt in our hearts.” When the real trial was held for the first time, six accused received sentences ranging from immediate acquittal due to limitation periods to a fine of 3 million won (approximately €1,900). The novel and then the film were therefore crucial to ensure that justice was done and again prevent them from being in contact with vulnerable children.

In addition, one witness said that while working as a teacher at Ihwa at the time, he discovered that two students had been beaten to death by the principal and the vice president (two brothers) and buried behind one of the buildings, But this testimony could not lead to investigations as no body was ever found. However, in addition to the six main accused, other professors pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assault. In total, a tenth of Korea watched the film in theaters upon its release, including the then president LEE MYUNGBAK who allowed to shed more light on this matter.

When the first trial ended in acquittals, the teachers returned to the school where 22 students still resided — mostly orphans — and the government continued to grant grants to the institution every year. because it could not find other schools to send the children. When the film was released, various petitions circulated to reopen the investigation, proof of the public’s involvement in bringing justice.

Today, addressing such sensitive issues as sexual violence against minors becomes complicated, but giving the victims a voice, even pictorial, remains crucial for the proper functioning of our society. The director stated at the release of the film that he wanted to show that despite the fact that society evolves, there are still barbaric acts committed. In 2011, 320 criminal files dealt with cases of assault on disabled people, up to 199 in 2007 according to the National Police Agency, but it also estimates that less than 10% dare not file a complaint out of fear and shame. The following quote can be taken as moral: