On August 15, 2025, Netflix released The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies, beginning with the story of the Brothers’ Home scandal. The eight-part harrowing series revisits some of South Korea's darkest real-life events. It is produced by MBC and directed by Jo Seong-hyeon. Following a survivor-first approach, the documentary shows the voices of those whose suffering was long ignored in the nation's history.The Brothers’ Home scandal has long been compared to a real-life version of Squid Game. It operated in Busan from 1976 to 1987. The facility was presented as a welfare shelter but was in reality a violent detention camp. Thousands of citizens, including children, disabled people, and even ordinary passersby, were locked inside. They were forced into hard labor and subjected to brutal abuse.What happened to the family behind Brothers’ Home? The head of the facility, Park In-keun, was jailed only for embezzlement and not for human rights crimes. After serving two and a half years, he returned to business and lived freely until his death in 2016. Meanwhile, his wife, Lim Sung-soon, her brother, Lim Young-soon, and other relatives relocated to Australia. There. They set up churches and businesses while survivors continued their fight for recognition and justice.The victims were kept in detention camps for forced labor and abuse (Representative image via Unsplash)The project is a follow-up to the 2023 series In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal. Like its predecessor, it shows how systemic failures and abuse of power destroyed countless lives. This season focuses on four notorious cases: the JMS cult led by Jung Myung-seok, the Brothers’ Home abuse scandal, the Chijon Family murders, and the Sampoong Department Store collapse.Even decades later, victims remain scarred, and many say true accountability for Brothers’ Home has yet to arrive.The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies- Full Brothers’ Home case explainedBrothers’ Home began in the 1960s as an orphanage. It expanded under government Directive No. 410 in 1975, which allowed authorities to detain so-called “vagrants.” By the 1980s, when South Korea was preparing for the Asian Games and the Olympics, the facility became a state-backed detention camp. It held more than 3,500 people at its peak.Survivors describe the institution as a military-style prison. Inmates were divided into platoons and punished with daily beatings. They were made to do forced labor. Inmates produced clothes, fishing nets, and other goods, often without pay. Weekly “trials” punished escape attempts or disobedience, which sometimes resulted in deaths.While official records list 551 fatalities, researchers and advocates suggest the number exceeded 650. They believed many families were never notified of their loved ones’ fate.The facility was overseen by Park In-keun, a former soldier who presented himself as a devout Christian. His wife, Lim Sung-soon; brother-in-law, Lim Young-soon; and other relatives all played executive roles, turning Brothers’ Home into a family-run empire.Park even built a large church inside the compound, where detainees were forced to worship. Religion was often used to justify control and punishment.When prosecutors investigated in 1987, Park was convicted only of financial crimes. He served two and a half years in prison. Human rights abuses went largely unpunished, and his political connections are believed to have shielded him. After his release from prison, he resumed business until his death in 2016.Meanwhile, family members moved to Australia, where they built churches and founded companies such as Job’s Town. They invested in property, including a golf driving range in Sydney.oh BROTHER… @MauiAndKireiLINKBrothers Home in Busan was a government-backed facility where thousands of vulnerable people, including the disabled and children, were detained without due process. Victims endured forced labor, torture, s*xual abuse, and starvation. More than 650 deaths and zero accountability.Survivors alleged that some detainees were trafficked abroad as illegal labor under the family’s supervision. Despite campaigns for justice, these relatives have never been extradited.The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has since recognized Brothers’ Home as a grave violation of human rights. Survivors like Han Jong-sun and Park Soon-hee continue to lead efforts to demand accountability and reparations.Through this documentary, Netflix brings their voices to a global audience, ensuring their suffering is neither forgotten nor ignored.Viewers can stream all eight episodes of The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies on Netflix.