When liberation came on August 15, 1945, the Hansen's disease patients on Sorokdo Island demanded self-governance, seeking to free themselves from the system that had oppressed them for so long. On the morning of August 22, residents selected 90 representatives and sent them to a negotiation site. But what awaited them was not a negotiating table. Armed staff members and a mobilized security force bound these representatives and then shot or stabbed them with spears.
Of the 90 village representatives, 84 lost their lives that day, and only 6 survived. For demanding the freedom that liberation was supposed to have restored to them, they instead lost their lives. Because this massacre took place on the isolated island of Sorokdo, it did not immediately become known to the outside world, and it was not until April of the following year, 1946, that it came to light. This account is based on verified sources, but it should also be noted that details may vary somewhat between different accounts of the exact death toll and circumstances.