Care Facility Director Sentenced to 15 Years for Sexual Assault

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The director of a care facility for people with severe developmental disabilities was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for sexually assaulting multiple facility residents.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence to the director, identified only by his surname Kim, for committing sexual offenses at the Saekdongwon facility in Incheon's Ganghwa district, west of Seoul, and banned him from working at institutions serving children, adolescents and the disabled.

The court found Kim guilty of sexually assaulting three Saekdongwon residents and injuring one victim who resisted by throwing a glass cup at the victim's head.

The court found the victims' testimonies credible, stressing the need for stern punishment for sexual offenses against people with disabilities, who are socially vulnerable.

However, the court acquitted Kim of raping another facility resident, although it found that the offense violated the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.