South Korea jails disabled care home head for sexually assaulting residents
The man, surnamed Kim, was handed a 15-year prison term for abusing three residents at the facility near Seoul.
The former director of a South Korean care facility for individuals with disabilities has been incarcerated for sexually assaulting several residents, a case that sent shockwaves across the nation.
The individual, identified only by his surname, Kim, received a 15-year prison sentence for the abuse of three residents at the Saekdongwon facility, located in Incheon City, west of Seoul. Law enforcement initiated an investigation into Kim after one of his victims, a woman with a severe intellectual disability, reported the abuse in February of the previous year.
This incident spurred the government to conduct inspections of 1,507 care facilities for disabled individuals nationwide, uncovering 33 instances of suspected abuse. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok characterized the abuse at Saekdongwon as "a grave matter that calls into question the very reason for the state's existence."
A comprehensive assessment of residents, commissioned by Ganghwa County, indicated that 20 current and former female residents may have been subjected to sexual abuse. The prolonged undetected nature of the director's actions, particularly given the strengthening of laws in 2011 to safeguard people with disabilities from sexual assault, has led many in South Korea to question how such a situation could persist.
Ganghwa County has mandated the closure of Saekdongwon, and Incheon City officials have revoked the operating license of the foundation responsible for the facility. However, the closure has been postponed until all remaining residents are relocated and arrangements for independent living are finalized. The foundation has subsequently filed an administrative lawsuit to contest the revocation of its license.