A South Korean court has sentenced the former head of a care facility for people with disabilities to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting multiple residents.
The man, identified by his surname Kim, was convicted of sexually abusing three residents at the Saekdongwon facility in Incheon, west of Seoul. The ruling can be appealed, BBC reported.
Police launched an investigation after one of the victims, a woman with a severe intellectual disability, reported the abuse in February last year.
The case has triggered nationwide scrutiny of facilities caring for people with disabilities. The government subsequently inspected 1,507 such facilities across South Korea and identified 33 suspected abuse cases.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok described the abuse at Saekdongwon as “a grave matter that calls into question the very reason for the state’s existence.”
An assessment commissioned by Ganghwa County found that 20 current and former female residents of the facility may have experienced sexual abuse.
The case has raised questions over how the alleged abuse continued undetected despite South Korea strengthening laws in 2011 to protect people with disabilities from sexual assault.
Ganghwa County has ordered Saekdongwon to close, while Incheon City authorities revoked the licence of the foundation that operated the facility.
The closure has been postponed until the remaining residents can be relocated and arrangements for independent living are completed.
The foundation has also filed an administrative lawsuit challenging the revocation of its licence.