Saekdongwon investigators say 6 staff members assaulted residents
Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 21:54
![The head of a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, center, attends a pretrial detention hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 19. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/24/f7a93052-6cb4-4abf-b7e2-15340c9129b8.jpg)
The head of a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, center, attends a pretrial detention hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 19. [YONHAP]
An investigation into abuse at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Ganghwa County, Incheon, has claimed that six staff members assaulted residents, broadening the scope of an ongoing abuse probe centered on the facility’s head.
The latest findings come after multiple staff members denied that any assault took place within the confines of the facility.
A university research team conducted a second round of interviews on Feb. 5 and 6 with 16 residents and obtained testimony that six employees committed acts of physical violence and other abuse. The investigation also identified six victims.
The Ganghwa County government received the second investigative report from the research team on Tuesday.
Of those residents interviewed, nine reportedly have no immediate family members.
In a first in-depth probe conducted in December of last year at the county’s request, 19 residents or former residents testified that the facility head committed sexual abuse.
Police began a preliminary inquiry into the facility head in March last year and expanded the investigation in January based on the research team’s findings.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Saekdongwon special investigation unit also conducted a comprehensive investigation into 87 people with disabilities who resided at the facility since it opened in 2008 and identified eight additional individuals who likely suffered abuse, including assault and unlawful confinement.
![Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Ganghwa County, Incheon [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/24/45ae3f1b-ab34-4fbd-b97f-0cd4143d8d09.jpg)
Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Ganghwa County, Incheon [YONHAP]
Police launched preliminary inquiries into four staff members identified as alleged perpetrators.
Saekdongwon employees have repeatedly argued that the presence of dozens of CCTV cameras inside the facility makes it "impossible to carry out sexual crimes or other abuse."
Investigations by police and the research team, however, have uncovered indications that employees participated in abuse alongside the facility head.
“We have consistently argued that staff members engaged in organized concealment and participation, and the truth is gradually coming to light,” said Jang Jong-in, co-chair of a joint response committee for the Saekdongwon sexual abuse case. “Investigators must punish not only the facility head but also the staff members who committed or allowed the abuse.”
Police plan to refer the facility head to prosecutors this week on charges including sexual assault of a person under a supervisor's protection in accordance with the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.
Police will refer two employees to prosecutors without detention on assault charges under the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities. So far, police have officially identified three victims of sexual violence and three victims of physical assault.
After forwarding the case to prosecutors, police plan to continue reviewing the situations concerning 87 former and current residents and 240 staff members to determine whether additional cases of sexual or physical abuse occurred.
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 BYUN MIN-CHUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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