Set to air Sept. 11, SBS’s 'Tails of Tales' will broadcast the episode “My Lost Home, and Jeokjun,” which revisits the brutal evictions that rocked Seoul’s redevelopment zones in the 1990s. Appearing as guest “listeners” are Yoon Eun-hye, singer KCM and actress Chae Seo-jin.
During filming, actor Jang Hyun-sung greeted Yoon with, “I was a huge Baby V.O.X fan―I really liked you,” while KCM added, “Tails of Tales is the one show I always watch to the end,” stoking anticipation.
The episode delves into the era’s notorious hired enforcers who, with tacit approval from authorities, were accused of assaults, property destruction and serious human-rights abuses―reports included throwing elementary schoolers down stairwells, attacking pregnant women and committing sexual violence. A veteran journalist who had covered conflict zones abroad recalled the scenes as “no different from a war zone.” The show also examines Jeokjun, a private demolition crew infamous for inhumane tactics, including a method nicknamed the “Raccoon Operation.”
Hearing the accounts of violence that felt like a battlefield, the guests were visibly shocked and angered. Yoon, in particular, empathized deeply with displaced residents. “It’s nothing compared to what the evictees endured, but during my singer days I was nearly blinded when someone shot me with a squirt gun filled with acid, and being pelted with raw eggs left me traumatized,” she said. Jang Hyun-sung was stunned, asking, “Is that really true?”
Yoon went on, “Trauma doesn’t fade easily. The evictees suffered far worse―violence, verbal abuse and sexual violence. Their pain is beyond words,” she said, eyes welling with tears.
Watching the footage, Yoon fumed, “At this point, they should all be in prison.” KCM added, “They don’t seem human―they’re monsters.” Chae Seo-jin said, “It’s unbearably cruel. A living hell.”
How Jeokjun operated, why authorities looked the other way and the full story behind the violence carried out in the name of redevelopment will be revealed on 'Tails of Tales' “My Lost Home, and Jeokjun,” airing Sept. 11 at 10:20 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)