South Korea jails care home head for assaulting disabled residents

A South Korean court has sentenced Kim, the former head of the Saekdongwon care facility in Incheon, to 15 years in prison for the sexual assault of three residents. The investigation began last February after a woman with a severe intellectual disability reported the abuse.

An assessment by Ganghwa County suggested that up to 20 current and former female residents may have been victims of sexual abuse at the facility. The case has sparked national outrage and prompted the government to inspect 1,507 care facilities for people with disabilities, resulting in the discovery of 33 suspected abuse cases.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok characterized the incident as ‘a grave matter that calls into question the very reason for the state’s existence’. While Ganghwa County has ordered the facility to close and Incheon City has revoked the operating foundation's license, the closure is deferred until residents are safely relocated. The foundation is currently challenging the license revocation through an administrative lawsuit.