Incheon prosecutor seeks 7-year sentence for disability center worker

Prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence for a female worker at a developmental disability service center in Incheon, South Korea, for the repeated abuse of a severely disabled individual. The defendant is accused of assaulting the victim 228 times and committing sexual misconduct by kicking the victim's private areas between October 2024 and April of last year.

During the trial, CCTV footage revealed instances of the defendant striking the victim's head and private parts. Prosecutors also sought a seven-year employment ban for the defendant. Two other staff members faced charges: a male worker was sentenced to a fine for emotional abuse involving the neglect of a patient's needs, and the center director was charged with negligence in supervision.

The victim's mother attended the hearing to plead for severe punishment, stating that the center, which she trusted to care for her non-verbal child, had become a place of suffering. While the primary defendant admitted to the crimes, expressing remorse, the other two accused individuals denied intentionality regarding the abuse and negligence charges.