Eighteen people with severe disabilities are still living without any particular measures at Saekdongwon in Incheon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities that is on track to be closed over sexual violence and abuse cases. The transfer of all residents is being delayed as authorities struggle to secure alternative facilities.
According to Ganghwa County in Incheon on the 24th, two women residents of Saekdongwon, including a person identified as A, were scheduled to be transferred on the 10th to a welfare facility for people with disabilities in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, but returned after being notified that they could not be accepted.
The facility reportedly said it learned that A and others require 24-hour care on the day of transfer and conveyed that they could not be accepted due to the facility's circumstances.
Earlier, A and others were moved from the main facility to a self-reliance living space called a "training home" at the end of Oct. last year following the sexual violence and abuse case involving facility head B. If Ganghwa County issues an order to close Saekdongwon, not only the main facility but also the training home would be subject to disposition.
Sixteen male residents are also still staying at Saekdongwon's main facility. In Saekdongwon's second in-depth investigation conducted on the 5th–6th, it was reported that indications were found that some of them suffered assaults by facility staff.
Earlier, Ganghwa County said it would take immediate closure measures if the police investigation confirmed the allegations of sexual violence and abuse to be true. Police plan to refer B, who was arrested on charges including intercourse with a protected person with disabilities under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, to prosecutors this week.