A twisted father figure: Ganghwa County care facility director accused of sexually abusing 19 residents

Nineteen women with severe developmental disabilities cared for by a residential facility in Ganghwa County, Incheon, were allegedly subjected to ongoing sexual abuse by the facility’s director.

Saekdongwon, a facility for the disabled in Ganghwa County, Incheon

Nineteen women with severe developmental disabilities cared for by a residential facility in Ganghwa County, Incheon, were allegedly subjected to ongoing sexual abuse by the facility’s director, according to a recent investigative report by the county government.

The findings emerged during a probe conducted by a university research team at the request of the Ganghwa County Office. All 17 women who were residing at the facility as of last September, along with two who had already left, provided statements describing sexual abuse. All of them were women.

If confirmed, the case could surpass the infamous 2005 Gwangju Inhwa School abuse scandal — known as the “Dogani case" in Korea, named after the best-selling novel and film of the same name titled "Silenced" (2011) in English and "Dogani" in Korean — which involved nine verified victims and became the most severe case of sexual violence at a facility for people with disabilities in Korea.

Locals have already dubbed the incident the “Incheon Dogani case.” The police, previously struggling to obtain detailed testimonies, plan to use the investigative report as a key reference to accelerate their probe. Nineteen victims, one perpetrator

A copy of the "In-depth Investigation Report on Residents of Saekdongwon, a Facility for the Disabled in Ganghwa County" (translated), obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday, showed that all 17 women who lived at the facility as of September last year, along with the two former residents, alleged that they were sexually abused by the facility director. Although the report was finalized in December, the Ganghwa County Office has not released its findings to the public.

The university researcher team gathered testimony through verbal interviews with residents who could express themselves. For those with limited or no verbal communication, the team used specialized methods such as play-based scenarios, picture selection and observational analysis to reconstruct potential abuse.

One woman said the director “tried to touch [her] sexually” and that “it didn’t stop, even when [she] told him to.” She recalled him saying things like “Touch me” and “Let’s do it again.” Another woman said the director “touched [her] whenever, day or night.” Several women identified specific locations where the abuse allegedly occurred, including personal rooms, a sofa and a second-floor cafe. Some also described witnessing other residents being assaulted.

A picture of Inhwa School, where prosecutors verified nine sexual abuse victims in 2005 [YONHAP]

One woman marked 14 of the 19 women who participated in the investigation when asked to identify victims of sexual abuse.

Residents with severe communication impairments mimed the alleged assaults by lifting their shirts or pointing to their genitals in response to questions about what the director had done to them. The report also includes testimony that the facility director threatened the residents into silence, allegedly saying that even if they told their parents what had happened, no one would come for them. One resident said threats were made while the director was holding a weapon. A fatherly figure becomes the aggressor

To the victims, most of whom had no family to turn to, the perpetrator was more than just a caregiver. Some residents reportedly referred to the director as “dad.”

One woman identified the place where he allegedly exposed himself, adding, “It hurt, it hurt,” and “Dad put his hand inside my pants.” When asked to show what happened, she lifted her shirt and pressed both hands down on her torso in a gesture describing the incident.

A poster of the 2011 film, ″Silenced,″ based on a 2009 novel by Gong Ji-young based on the infamous 2005 Gwangju Inhwa School abuse scandal [CJ ENM]

All 19 women who took part in the investigation were between their 30s and 60s. Thirteen have no surviving family members. Most had lived at the facility for at least five years, with some staying more than 16 years. Local sources said the women had little contact with the outside world and relied entirely on the director and other facility workers for daily life. One woman reportedly interrupted other residents’ testimony by screaming and refused to say the director’s name, whom she also called “dad.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating the facility director on charges including rape and sexual assault of disabled persons under the Act on the Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

The case was initially reported in March 2025. In September, police searched the facility, and 17 women were formally removed from the premises seven months after the first report. Police slow to act, victims exposed for months

Progress was slow in the early stages of the investigation because police were unable to obtain clear statements from residents. Public concerns were rising when the Ganghwa County Office, which is responsible for oversight of the facility, also conducted an inspection just two weeks before the police raid and reported no signs of abuse at the time.

A coalition of disability rights groups and sexual violence support centers called for a specialized investigation, which only occurred when the county requested assistance from the university team. The same researchers previously led investigations into the Gwangju Inhwa School abuse case and the forced labor scandal at salt farms on Shinan County’s remote islands.

A coalition of disability rights groups and sexual violence support centers calling for the abolishment of Saekdongwon [JOONGANG ILBO]

"We plan to use the new report to corroborate the victims’ accounts and press forward with the investigation," said a police spokesperson.

If the findings are verified, the case would set a new precedent for the number of confirmed victims in an abuse case at a Korean facility for people with disabilities. In the Inhwa School case, while initial reports estimated more than 30 victims, prosecutors ultimately verified nine.

“There are still many women who left Saekdongwon before the investigation,” said Jang Jong-in, spokesperson for a joint task force of advocacy groups. “The number of victims could grow far beyond those in the Dogani case. To fully uncover the truth, we need additional investigators and an urgent response from the presidential office and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.”

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 [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]