Inside the ‘real Squid Game’ – brutal Brothers’ Home where hundreds were tortured to death
The dystopian tale of Squid Games has left viewers horrified, with many noting stark similarities to a real-life human rights act of barbarity. Viewers have been left obsessing over the second season of Squid Games, which sees previous winner Seong Gi-hun – Player 456 – (Lee Jung-jae) return to the backstairs contest. And fans of the show have spotted disturbing similarities with a very real horror story. The South Korean show, created for Netflix by screenwriter and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, is based around a cruel competition where contestants play a host of deceptively innocent-looking children’s games for a shot at winning a life-changing sum of money, reports the Mirror.
Those who lose are gunned down mercilessly by masked guards while a group of wealthy men known as the ‘VIPs’ place bets on players. The South Korean series depicts a bloody game where desperate participants risk their lives for money. The murderous show aims to create a visual representation of the stark contrast between rich and poor, taken to dystopian extremes. However, despite the show being fiction, a number of fans have noted a striking similarity between Squid Games and a truly shocking series of events that unfolded in South Korea in the ’70s and ’80s.
From 1976 to 1987, the sinister ‘Brothers’ Home’ operated in Busan, South Korea – and the deceitfully welcome name still sparks fear into those who managed to survive. The horrific facility was the largest and most notorious of the 36 detention facilities designed to ‘cleanse’ South Korea’s streets of “symbols of the poverty and disorder of cities”, with then-President Chun Doo-Hwan ordering a tougher approach to begging. The Brothers’ Home is sometimes referred to as the ‘Auschwitz of South Korea’.
The dictator wrote a letter to the then-Prime Minister Nam Duck-woo, demanding “protective measures against vagrants” were taken. It was at this point in President Doo-Hwan’s arbitrary regime that children and adults were snatched from the streets and taken to so-called ‘welfare centres’ which in reality were more akin to concentration camps. Many were kept prisoner for years on end. A report published in the ’80s found that just 10 per cent of detainees were homeless, and the vast majority had been swept up in the depraved “purification project”.
The project was orchestrated as part of a nationwide rebranding initiative ahead of the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Olympics Games in Seoul. One prisoner included Han Jong-sun, who was just eight years old when he was snatched away from his family. During a trip to the city in 1984, he was left with a police officer alongside his sister whilst his dad ran errands. Han was forced into a bus which stopped outside the station, and the pair were beaten when they cried. The pair were whisked away to the Brothers’ Home – a place that would one day be referred to as the ‘Auschwitz of South Korea’.
In May 2020, Han opened up to BBC News about his horrific experience, sharing: “We had no idea where we were taken to. ‘Daddy told us to wait here! Daddy is coming!’ We cried and bawled. They started beating us, saying that we were too loud.” Han was the youngest in his ‘platoon’ and he remembers being covered in lice at the “hell” facility, where inmates were malnourished and rapes were a nightly occurrence. Those who dared attempt to escape over the 7m (23ft) fence would be beaten to death.
Reports state that a total of 513 Brothers’ Home inmates died between 1975 and 1986, but it’s believed the real figure is much higher. The Brothers’ Home was closed at the end of the ’80s after a raid which led to the 1987 arrest of Brothers’ Home director, Park In-keun. In-keun only served a brief prison term for embezzlement and minor charges, and was acquitted for charges related to illegal confinement. Despite the similarities, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has never cited the Brothers’ Home as inspiration for his work.
You can stream both seasons of Squid Game on Netflix now. If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
Insights: The harrowing parallels between the fictional Squid Game and the real-life atrocities at the Brothers’ Home in South Korea shed light on the dark history of human rights abuses. The chilling details of individuals being snatched from the streets and subjected to torturous conditions underscore the importance of remembering past atrocities to prevent them from happening again. The bravery of survivors like Han Jong-sun in sharing their stories serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable cruelty.
Summary: The ‘real Squid Game’ article delves into the shocking similarities between the popular Netflix series and the brutal reality of the Brothers’ Home in South Korea. The inhumane treatment of individuals in the name of societal cleansing is a stark reminder of the depths of human depravity. Survivors’ accounts highlight the importance of acknowledging past atrocities to ensure history does not repeat itself.