“Stories of Samtae Village” Series, Part 1: The rural village that received an award for its solidarity with a victim of sexual violence
By Homi
Published
Nov. 19, 2025
Translated
by Marilyn Hook
Introduction:
Samtae Village, Jukgok Township, Gokseong County, North Jeolla Province. There
was a day when this village became the center of attention and a subject of
conversation.
On
February 4, 2025, the National Council of Sexual Violence Relief Centers
presented the Special Stepping Stone Award to Samtae Village and the Damyang
Human Rights Support & Counselling Center. The Special Stepping Stone Award
is given to individuals or organizations who have contributed to protecting a victim's
human rights during sexual crime investigations and trials. Samtae Village's
award marks the first time a village has received the award.
However,
this village not only took a unique approach to handling sexual assault but
also declared the elimination of gender-based wage discrimination within the
village, paying wages equally to both men and women, and setting a new standard
for village life through shared farms and communal meals. To delve deeper into
Samtae Village's activities, we present this four-part series based on our interview
with farmer Park Jin-sook, chair of the Jukgok Together Village Educational
Social Cooperative.
 |
| Samtae Village boasts scenery so spectacular it served as the backdrop for the film The Wailing. After following the Daehwang River and passing the "Samtae Village" sign, visitors are greeted by a mural on an empty storage shed reading, "You are more precious than flowers." The village is said to be named Samtae (which means "three peaks") because it is surrounded by the three peaks of Gojanggol, Hwajangsan, and Seokjanggol. The photo shows the view of the village from Ipssak's house. (Photo: Homi) |
The sexual assault of a vulnerable woman in an exclusionary clan village[1] and the village’s extraordinary response
The
sentence “A rural village dealt with a sexual assault incident and protected
the victim” sounds strange, like something’s been miswritten.
Considering
the exclusive community structure of blood and kinship, the lack of access to
reporting and investigation resources, the patriarchal and hierarchical
culture, and the high percentage of people of vulnerable populations, such as female
marriage migrants and elderly people who live alone, the reality is that
reporting sexual violence and protecting victims in rural areas is difficult.
How, then, was it possible for a rural village to wage a 19-month battle to
respond to sexual violence and protect the victim—and then [in the words of the
awards committee] "enable villagers to maintain safe daily lives"?
I met with
activist Park Jin-sook, who was at the center of this incident from beginning
to end, working with the victim to solve it. I’m using the pseudonym "Homi
[hoe]," Park goes by the nickname "Ipssak [leaf sprout]" in her
activist work, and I’ll be referring to the victim by the pseudonym
"Eun-hee."
The
story began in the winter of 2022, when Eun-hee, a young woman from the village,
came to visit Ipssak. First, let's take a look at a summary of the incident, prepared
by the National Council of Sexual Violence Relief Centers for the sake of its Special
Stepping Stone Award:
The perpetrator was a marriage relation—the victim's aunt's brother-in-law—and a fellow resident of the village. Due to the victim's parents' disabilities (father: hearing impairment, speech impairment; mother: cerebral palsy, borderline intellectual disability), the perpetrator would often help the parents get around when they went out. Under the pretext of "helping as an in-law," he would manage and control the victim's parents and exploit them financially.
When
the victim was forced to stay home to care for her father due to his
deteriorating health, the perpetrator, while demanding a romantic relationship,
repeatedly sexually assaulted her and once committed non-sexual assault. The
victim first reported the abuse to a local acquaintance, and after the story
was relayed to the head of the village, the victim was connected with a
disability rights advocacy organization and a counseling center.
Homi: Tell me about how the village
responded together to this sexual assault case.
Ipssak: Eun-hee came to me and told
me about the assaults. I got her consent to discuss it at a meeting of the “Samchinhoe,”
which stands for "Close Friends of Samtaeri," a gathering of young
people and gwinong-in [people who have moved from cities to the
countryside to ‘return to farming’] in the village. Most village matters are
discussed here. The village head is also present. So [the news] was naturally
reported to the head. From the beginning, we believed this wasn't the victim’s
personal problem, but the village's. We agreed that the village should take
responsibility and do something about it. We persuaded Eun-hee to report it to
the police and press charges. And she was receiving advice from the Disability
Rights Center and the Damyang Human Rights Support & Counseling Center.
 |
| In a photo taken in July of this year, Ipssak (Park Jin-sook, chair of the Jukgok Together Village Educational Social Cooperative) stands next to the ‘shared refrigerator’ where anyone can put something in and take something out, in front of the Jukgok Farmers’ Open Library, the only farmers’ library in the country. |
‘A
4-million-won fine for defamation? Let’s just pay it and face this head-on’
Ipssak: Once she decided to press
charges, as things progressed, Eun-hee was incredibly anxious and stressed. Her
mother was too. Because they were vulnerable. The neighborhood whispered, made
excuses [for the perpetrator], made up stories... It's so unsettling to know
people are talking behind your back, as a vulnerable person. So, I couldn't
stand it anymore, and I told the village head, "Call a special general
meeting." The counseling center advised against [my discussing the case at
the meeting], saying it would be defamation based on the lack of facts, and even
if it were true, it would still be defamation of the perpetrator. So I
asked how much the fine would be, and they said 4 million won [about 2,800 USD].
I thought it would be best to do it anyway and just pay that.
So,
with the consent of the victim and her mother, we held a village meeting. We
usually have all 100 residents gather for our meetings. We had changed the interior
door of the community center to a folding door, so everyone can fit inside when
it’s opened. Someone from the perpetrator's side also came. He has several
close friends in the village. This person recorded the meeting. We had also
prepared for the meeting. I explained the details of the incidents, the harm
that was done, and the progress of the lawsuit. I said that an attorney had
been appointed [for the perpetrator] and described the legal punishment the
perpetrator could face.
The person
on the perpetrator’s side also stepped up and spoke. "X (the perpetrator)
may use coarse language, but when I actually got to know him, I realized he isn’t
really like how he seems on the outside. He was just joking around because he
was comfortable with her (the victim), like a daughter. I think she was upset
by it because she’s too young to know better. I talked to X to make sure it
won't happen again. There’s no need to make a big fuss about this kind of
problem, is there? With this kind of thing, shouldn’t we just wrap it up now,
within the village, and let everyone go on with their lives?” He said all this
very politely.
So I
said, "You could see it that way. But what benefit would our young friend,
a girl just X years old, get from telling this story now? It’s hard to talk
about, and she only spoke up after putting up with it for a long time. Can we really
believe that she’s lying? Is this a story she could have made up?"
In
this way, the modern response to sexual violence is different from that in the
past. This is not the society of the past. Just because someone is vulnerable,
we won't tolerate the same things we used to do, just letting it slide. There
are many gwinong-in in my neighborhood, and I'm a young person, too. If
these incidents are glossed over and dismissed, I'll feel unsafe and uneasy
living in my neighborhood. I want us to clearly address the issue through legal
action, making our neighborhood safer. I'll work with human rights
organizations to see it through to the end. We must support victims. This is what
I said [at the meeting].
 |
| To prevent further harm to sexual assault victim Eun-hee and her family, Ipssak and the young residents of the village, held a special village meeting to publicize the incident, with the victim's consent. The meeting, attended by most Samtae Village residents, was held alongside gender awareness training provided by Jeong Yeong-yi, a rural gender equality instructor. (Photo credit: Ipssak) |
‘Now I can breathe’… Ways to protect victims in the neighborhood
Ipssak: [I said] “This young woman is
a victim. She's not the one who created the problem. Not just her, but her
entire family are the victims. When something like this happens, the victim usually
finds it too hard to keep living in the neighborhood and most of them leave. I
hope that's not the case in our neighborhood. I hope Eun-hee can be safely
protected in our neighborhood until the trial is over. We need to do that for
her. Elders, please do something for her. We young people will actively
participate in the trial, so you please take care of her and her mother. Her
mother is suffering so much right now, her hwabyeong has come
back and she’s even taking antidepressants. Let's take care of them in the
neighborhood." When I said that, the elderly all said, "Yes, that's
right," and even the men agreed, so now they don't talk about it like they
were before. And all the whispering behind [the family’s] backs has stopped. Because
now that the truth has been revealed to the world.
The
perpetrator’s supporters didn't say much after that. They saw the villagers'
mood at the general meeting. Later, through the NFWF (National Federation of
Women Farmers), all the villagers gathered to receive gender equality
education. The victim's mother later came to visit and said, "I can
breathe now."
And
she (Eun-hee's mother) has power here at our village's ‘community table,’ too. She
manages the refrigerator, checks and organizes necessary ingredients, and so
on—it’s like having the key to the granary. We gave her that authority after
discussing it with the elderly women [of the village] and members of our co-op.
(※ In Samtae Village, there is an
‘Altogether Shared Farm.’ As the name suggests, it is a field for growing rice
and other produce for everyone. The members of Samtae Village eat lunch
together at a community table every day; its rice is cooked with rice grown in
the shared rice field, and its side dishes are prepared with greens grown there.
Once a week, they get together with the ‘village community table’ in [larger]
Jukgok Township to prepare and eat lunch together, and together they also make
side dishes and deliver them to the homes of those who have difficulty
preparing their own meals.)
We
also brought Eun-hee in as an activist on the shared farm. This is also a job.
She works on the farm once a week in the morning. When people come here on farm
tours, she greets these guests, too. I delegated the main management of the
farm work and the communication with the elderly ladies to her. For example, ‘It’s
raining today, so let’s postpone,’ or, ‘We’re doing this kind of work today’…
When Eun-hee comes in, the elderly ladies take great care of her. That’s how
she stays in the community, how she’s taken care of within the community.
 |
| Samtaeri residents harvesting greens seeds at the shared farm. Most of the side dishes and seasonings served on Samtaeri's tables come from the shared farm. Young people take turns preparing side dishes on the weekends, and the elderly women cook soup and rice for nearly 30 villagers to share every day. After the general meeting, Eun-hee became a teacher at the shared farm, and her mother was elected president of the women's association. The village also actively advocated for the victims, including by helping with preparations for Eun-hee's legal battle. [Photo credit: Ipssak] |
Perpetrator’s side asks “Why is the village getting involved in a private matter?”
Ipssak: The perpetrator named me and ‘Y
hyung’
as witnesses. I said, "Okay, I'll go," and went to court. The
perpetrator denied everything. But there are so many witnesses on the victim's
side. There are no witnesses on the perpetrator's side. The perpetrator hired his
own lawyer. He didn't use the court-appointed one. Because if he got caught [convicted]
this time, he'd face a heavier punishment—he already had a criminal record—so
he was desperate.
The perpetrator's lawyer said that the victim's story was inconsistent, and emphasized that the victim has a borderline intellectual disorder so she lacks credibility. The reason they brought in Y hyung as a witness was because he had a disability and seemed like he could be manipulated by the perpetrator... We held several workshops with Y hyung where we told him to share only what he remembered clearly and accurately, and for the rest, to just say he didn't know and stop there.
I
testified. “They’re saying Eun-hee has a borderline intellectual disability, so
she’s immature and has poor judgment. However, I'm raising a child with a level
1 [serious] intellectual disability. I know a bit about disabilities. Eun-hee
currently has no level of disability. She's actively engaged in community
activities, is fully aware of the situation, and provides consistent and
credible statements. Her family has been subjected to gaslighting for a long
time. The parents are extremely anxious and worried. The perpetrator has himself
told people that he has a record because he ‘got caught by a ggotbaem [literally
‘flower snake’; slang term for a woman who sexually extorts a man]’ before and had
to pay a fine.” Then I explained how our
village had responded to Eun-hee’s story, how we held a meeting to discuss
countermeasures, and connected with a Human Rights Center to seek advice and
proceed with the lawsuit...
The defense
then asked why the village was intervening in a private matter, and said there must
be some ulterior motive. So I told my story. I'd been involved in civil society
activism for a long time before I moved to the countryside. As the parent of a
disabled person, I'd had more experience than usual with this type of
situation. I was familiar with the sexual violence response manual. I explained
that while taking village-level action might not be typical, we believed we
were acting maturely and doing the right thing.
The
judge listened intently. They [the judge’s gender is not clear from the Korean
text] asked questions about everything they wanted to know. They said, ‘Ah, the
people of this village, people who had been involved in civil rights movements,
came together to do this.’
Homi: So the perpetrator's side
called you as a witness because they wanted to push the argument ‘why is the
village interfering with a personal matter? There must be some political motive
behind it,’ but it backfired. (Laughs) [The prosecution] ultimately won the appeal.
The perpetrator was sentenced to prison. How is Eun-hee doing now?
Ipssak: The human rights center
connected Eun-hee with a crime victim support program. It helped her
financially, and gave counseling for her and her parents. She's doing so much
better. Eun-hee's mother is now president of the women's association. She has a
disability and can't read. At first, the [elderly] residents were against it.
But the young people convinced them. We said that when the perpetrator is
released from prison he could cause further harm or try to retaliate. So
[Eun-hee’s mother] needs to have authority. Only that will stop the perpetrator
from doing whatever he wants. We said, ‘Even though she has a disability, hasn’t
she done everything she should as a village resident?’ We said the young people
could help her write. She’s doing well now. She has pride in yourself.
Homi: So in Samtae, a disability
isn’t an obstacle.
Ipssak: In rural areas, disabilities don’t
stand out as much. People work according to their abilities. Of course,
government-led projects explicitly recognize disabilities as disabilities, and
it's rare for people [with disabilities] to be appointed as women's association
presidents or village heads. But in our village, we've created systems to
compensate for disabilities and support people in working.
 |
| Ipssak presenting a case study at the intermediate training session for a Rural Citizen Life Care Community on July 29, 2025. She is often invited to speak on topics such as social agriculture, citizen life care communities, ecological gardens, and community autonomy. (Photo credit: Homi) |
Toppling
the old clan village system
Homi: But this village wasn’t
always like this, was it?
Ipssak: Of course. Ten years ago,
when I first arrived in this village, the elders were very tyrannical because
it is a clan village. They would disrespect people like Z hyeong or A ahjusshi
because they had disabilities, and blatantly order them around. They thought it
was acceptable because that was the village culture. Then, as new young people
came in and started participating in village activities, the clan village order
collapsed fast. At first, there was a lot of resistance. Some villagers—those
who had left and come back—had not yet grasped the situation and wanted to stop
the incoming (new) people from gaining power. They'd say things like, "Why
are these newcomers being so disrespectful to members of our B clan like
this?" or "Our B clan used to be the leaders of this village."
But people kept complaining anyway [about the old culture], so now they're
starting to shrink back a bit. They're reading the room.
To the
elderly women, these young people weren't just "newcomers." The
elderly women began to speak out, saying things like, ‘These people are trying
to live together in the village. They’re trying to live with us, not just for
themselves. The village head, the
women's association president, and the village head's wife are working hard, they’re
bringing in village projects, this has made our village better.’ These women
had been seething inside for a long time under the untouchable authority and
tyranny of the B clan, which had long reigned in this village, and now they
began to speak up. Ultimately, the elderly
women won. And it was the same with the sexual assault incident.
The
people who sided with the perpetrator of this sexual assault were a minority of
B clan members. The perpetrator was released from prison last year, and they’ve
been causing a fuss in the village about him. They’re trying to maintain their
vested interests, of course, making the most desperate moves still available to
them within the existing system. Unfortunately
[for them], the power and organization of the village community are no longer
under their control. We’ll need to wait a little for them to realize this, and
we also need to show a little more force. Ultimately, they'll probably admit
they can't do anything and settle down to live together quietly.
On the day the perpetrator was sentenced to prison and taken away on the spot, Ipssak wrote this on social media:
“After
over a year of legal battles, a sexual assault victim in our village has won.
I'm so grateful to my friend, who was so timid and fearful, for persevering and
fighting to the end. Above all, the villagers who stepped up and cared for the
victim and her family as if it were their own were truly admirable. I'm also
deeply grateful to the Damyang County Human Rights Center, which appointed a
lawyer and provided a safe haven.
Those
who heard the news that the perpetrator was sentenced to prison and immediately
taken away breathed a sigh of relief, but also couldn't hide their mixed emotions.
The perpetrator is a precious family member to someone... and a member of our
village. I sincerely hope he spends the time seeking real atonement and returns
to the village in good health.”
The
National Council of Sexual Violence Relief Centers said, as the reason for
awarding the Special Stepping Stone Award, “When a sexual violence incident
occurs within a village, we have observed that the direction of the incident is
determined by how the community responds and protects the victim,” and
expressed gratitude to Samtae Village for “courageously taking the lead in
eradicating sexual violence.”
 |
| The Special Stepping Stone Award certificated presented to Samtae Village by the National Council of Sexual Violence Relief Center. This marks the first time a village, rather than an individual or organization, has received this award. (Photo credit: Homi) |
Bonus: Excerpt from NCSVRC statement about the Special Stepping Stone Award
“Upon
first hearing of the harm done to the victim, the village community actively
intervened by reporting the case to the Jeollanam-do Disability Rights Advocacy
Center, preventing further harm. When the victim hesitated to file a complaint,
they provided ongoing persuasion and support, helping her make the decision.
Furthermore, during the investigation and trial, two village residents risked
retaliation by testifying as witnesses, playing a crucial role in ensuring the
credibility of the victim's testimony and contributing to the case’s successful
conclusion. […] The village community played the roles of supporters,
collaborators, and assistants, ensuring that the victim did not give up on the
case and carried it through to the end during the one year and seven months
from the time of the victim’s disclosure to the victory at the appellate trial.”
About
the Author: Homi is a rural gender equality instructor at the Korea Institute
for Gender Equality Education, an editor of Refarm’s Return to Farming
Circular, a member of the Women's Farming and Fisheries Committee of the
Special Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Affairs, a disability
support worker, and a children's book writer. She moved from Seoul to the
countryside and then back to the city. She writes to show that while it’s tough
for women to return to farming, women themselves are tough, too.
*Original
article: https://www.ildaro.com/10323
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