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. <\/p>\n
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<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n Police launched an investigation after one of the victims, a woman with a severe intellectual disability, reported the abuse in February last year.<\/p>\n The case has triggered nationwide scrutiny of facilities caring for people with disabilities. The government subsequently inspected 1,507 such facilities across South Korea<\/a> and identified 33 suspected abuse cases.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Kim Min-seok described the abuse at Saekdongwon as \u201ca grave matter that calls into question the very reason for the state\u2019s existence.\u201d<\/p>\n An assessment commissioned by Ganghwa County found that 20 current and former female residents of the facility may have experienced sexual abuse.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ganghwa County has ordered Saekdongwon to close, while Incheon City authorities revoked the licence of the foundation that operated the facility.<\/p>\n The closure has been postponed until the remaining residents can be relocated and arrangements for independent living are completed.<\/p>\n The foundation has also filed an administrative lawsuit challenging the revocation of its licence.<\/p>\n