Rights groups demand full investigation in disability facility abuse allegations
Published: 27 Jan. 2026, 20:24
![The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/27/ea6ddca5-155d-49a6-8bc1-1bfb4214af77.jpg)
The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]
Disability rights groups and civic organizations demanded nationwide action on Tuesday after allegations surfaced that the head of a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Ganghwa, Incheon, sexually assaulted residents.
The groups gathered outside the Blue House in central Seoul, calling on the government to launch a comprehensive investigation and to treat the case as a national crisis. Protesters described the allegations as an “Incheon version of the Dogani case,” invoking the name of Korea’s most notorious abuse scandal involving people with disabilities.
About 300 activists from across the country attended the rally, including representatives from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Daegu and North Jeolla. They cited a recent JoongAng Ilbo report indicating that residents at Saekdongwon, a disability residential facility in Ganghwa County, had endured repeated sexual abuse by the facility’s director.
An internal investigation report on residents, confirmed by the JoongAng Ilbo, includes statements from 19 people with disabilities who participated in the survey saying they were sexually assaulted by the facility head. The report also includes accounts of residents being assaulted by facility staff.
![The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/27/2ed7efcb-0d9e-4aea-bc2a-f31ad1b64bd9.jpg)
The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]
If residents’ statements are confirmed in the police investigation, the case could be recorded as the largest sexual crime incident to occur at a facility for people with disabilities in Korea, surpassing the Dogani case.
“The very person who was supposed to protect people with disabilities — society’s vulnerable — committed sex crimes against them instead. He must be punished more severely,” said Sim Ji-seon, a person with physical disabilities from Gunsan, North Jeolla. “The government should conduct a full investigation and identify cases that have not come to light.”
“I came out here as a parent raising a child with disabilities. I can’t believe this happened in Korea,” said an attendee named Go Jin-seon. “Children with disabilities can’t always express what happened to them, even when they are victimized. The state must resolve this case.”
![The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/27/e071974e-70e3-4099-92b5-a271302b3de0.jpg)
The joint countermeasures committee on the sexual violence case at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with disabilities in Incheon, calls for a full investigation in front of the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 27. [BYUN MIN-CHUL]
The committee called on the government to establish a pan-government task force, prepare follow-up measures such as support for independent living, shut down the facility and dissolve the foundation that operates it.
“Even the contents of the in-depth report already made public show the damage was severe,” the committee said, adding that authorities should act pre-emptively at the government level rather than wait for police findings.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which is investigating the case, has identified four alleged victims so far and booked the facility head without detention on charges including the rape and molestation of a person with disabilities under the sexual violence punishment law, expanding the probe.
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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