South Korean court upholds 10‑year sentence for disability‑rights investigator convicted of sexual assault

The Supreme Court of South Korea affirmed a 10‑year prison term for a 50‑year‑old investigator employed by the Jeju Disability Rights Advocacy Agency. The court ruled that the defendant repeatedly sexually assaulted three teenage girls with intellectual disabilities between July 2024 and February 2023, including one incident of rape in a government‑issued vehicle. The trial court also ordered the offender to complete 40 hours of sexual‑violence and child‑abuse treatment programs and imposed a ten‑year ban on employment with child‑ and youth‑related institutions. The defendant’s appeal was dismissed, and the Supreme Court found no error in the lower‑court judgment.

The ruling highlighted that the perpetrator abused his position of trust within a protective institution, noting that the victims were particularly vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. The judgment underscores heightened legal accountability for sexual crimes against disabled persons in South Korea.