South Korea jails disabled care home head for sexually assaulting residents
A South Korean court has jailed the former director of a disabled care home for 15 years after he was convicted of sexually assaulting three residents at the Saekdongwon facility in Incheon City. The case has caused widespread shock in South Korea and prompted a nationwide government inspection of care facilities, raising serious questions about how such abuse could persist despite laws strengthened in 2011 to protect people with disabilities from sexual assault.
The investigation began after one victim, a woman with a severe intellectual disability, reported the abuse in February last year. A government inspection of 1,507 disability care facilities across the country subsequently uncovered 33 suspected abuse cases, while a separate assessment commissioned by Ganghwa County found that 20 current and former female residents at Saekdongwon may have experienced sexual abuse. Authorities have ordered the facility's closure and revoked its operating licence, though closure has been delayed until residents are relocated, and the operating foundation is challenging the licence revocation in court.
In short
- Former care home director jailed 15 years for sexually assaulting residents
- Case prompted inspections of 1,507 facilities, finding 33 suspected abuse cases
- Facility's closure ordered but delayed pending resident relocation
Explained simply
People with disabilities who need daily support may live in residential care facilities, where staff help with personal care and other needs. South Korea has laws to protect people with disabilities from sexual assault, strengthened in 2011.
Saekdongwon is a disability care facility in Incheon, a city west of Seoul. The case has drawn attention to the responsibility of care providers and the safeguards meant to protect residents who may face barriers to reporting abuse.