Saekdongwon head denies allegations of sexual assault of residents with developmental disabilities
Published: 19 Feb. 2026, 17:15
![The head of a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, center, is seen at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul to attend a pretrial detention hearing on Feb. 19. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/19/eae09220-f707-4986-b519-478bbaef49b7.jpg)
The head of a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, center, is seen at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul to attend a pretrial detention hearing on Feb. 19. [YONHAP]
The head of a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, who faces an arrest warrant on charges of sexually assaulting female residents, reportedly denied all allegations during a pretrial detention hearing on Thursday.
Ko Eun-young, a lawyer at Barun Law LLC and legal representative of one of the victims who first testified about the sexual assault at Saekdongwon, the facility, conveyed the suspect’s position in a statement released after the hearing.
The suspect argued in court that there were no records of injuries to residents with disabilities in the facility’s internal documents and claimed that given the structure of the facility, any disturbance would not have gone unnoticed, according to Ko. On that basis, the suspect denied the charges.
Regarding concerns raised by investigators about possible destruction of evidence, the suspect reportedly rejected allegations that they had refused to allow the victim to review CCTV footage, saying responsibility for managing the footage lay with working-level staff.
“The defendant’s argument is a typical attempt to evade responsibility by exploiting the vulnerabilities of victims with disabilities and the facility’s closed power structure,” Ko said.
“We urge the court to consider that medical findings and the victims’ distressing testimonies exist, and ask the court to not allow the suspect to avoid responsibility by hiding behind authority,” Ko added.
![Saekdongwon, a facility for the disabled in Ganghwa County, Incheon [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/19/9cb5f73c-3364-422e-85cd-c1a8e6f06b02.jpg)
Saekdongwon, a facility for the disabled in Ganghwa County, Incheon [JOONGANG ILBO]
The victims’ side emphasized that, due to the characteristics of individuals with severe disabilities, there may be limitations in providing precise dates or numerical details. However, multiple victims have given consistent accounts of abuse, and medical opinions support their claims.
The suspect is accused of forcibly engaging in sexual intercourse or coercing similar acts with at least six female residents with disabilities under the pretext of providing daily care and guidance, in violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, including sexual assault of a person with a disability under protection, as well as assault under the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act.
The court is expected to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for the suspect later Wednesday.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)