Dealing with authorized battles and social stigma, survivors of the darkest chapters in Korea’s modern historical past share their tales in ‘The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies’
The docuseries that made waves in South Korea is again with a strong sequel, this time delving into firsthand accounts by survivors of a few of South Korea’s most harrowing occasions.
“The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies” is a Netflix documentary sequence that explores the tales of survivors and associates of 4 main trendy Korean tragedies: the Jesus Morning Star cult, the Busan Brothers’ Dwelling, the Jijonpa serial homicide case and the Sampoong Division Retailer collapse.
It follows the 2023 Netflix hit “Within the Identify of God: A Holy Betrayal,” which revealed alleged abuses by non secular organizations in Korea, together with JMS chief Jeong Myeong-seok, who’s at present imprisoned for sexual assault.
Simply days earlier than the scheduled premiere, JMS filed for an injunction in opposition to MBC and Netflix on the Seoul Western District Court docket on July 29, searching for to dam “The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies” from airing. A listening to was held on Tuesday and, although the end result stays pending, the sequence is ready to premiere Friday.
“The results of the injunction submitting has not come out but. … Earlier than our broadcast has aired, a complete of three injunction requisitions have been filed,” mentioned producer Jo Sung-hyun throughout a press convention held in Seoul Wednesday.
“Actually, I don’t perceive why they need to go as far as to dam this broadcast. Whether or not it is Season 1 or Season 2, this solely proves that revealing that is very uncomfortable for somebody … I consider that is one thing that everybody must know.”
Jo additionally emphasised that he trusts the South Korean courts, saying he has “little question that they’ll make an excellent resolution, one which serves the individuals.”
Whereas the English title displays the broader theme, the sequence’ Korean title, “I’m a Survivor,” was rigorously chosen to emphasise the continuing struggles confronted by these featured. The primary season’s Korean title was “I’m God.”
Producer Jo defined the reasoning behind the brand new title: “I considered the title ‘I’m a Survivor’ first, after which deliberate this system in additional element afterward. It’s because after our earlier work aired, I noticed the continuing state of affairs of one among our most consultant victims, a good friend named Maple. Her present circumstances bolstered the thought (to create the present) much more,” he mentioned.
Jo mentioned he was most harm by individuals who dismissed survivors, together with Maple, as silly people manipulated by non secular teams.
“I consider many supporters are greater than victims — they endured trauma, witnessed societal points and deserve respect. To honor them and lift consciousness, I created the present titled ‘I Am a Survivor.’”
Producer Jo additionally outlined the factors behind the collection of the 4 featured instances:
“First, we appeared on the most tragic disasters which have occurred in South Korea — disasters that must not ever be repeated. With that in thoughts, the primary case that got here to my thoughts was the Busan Brothers Dwelling case that I reported on 12 years in the past,” he mentioned. The Busan Brothers Dwelling was a welfare facility within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s that was revealed to be extra of an internment camp. Quite a few human rights abuses have been dedicated in opposition to these held there.
“Again then, many victims remained hidden and didn’t come ahead. However about 12 or 13 years later, once I met two survivors once more, what I assumed was: this can be a fully completely different case than what I had understood earlier than,” Jo mentioned.
“The second criterion was that the victims’ struggling persists right this moment. … Though these occasions occurred way back, the instances spotlight how related tragedies proceed or how survivors’ struggles stay unresolved,” added Jo.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
