Welfare center chief accused of child abuse reinstated, says 'I'm sorry'

Victims who experienced child abuse in 2013 at a child welfare center in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, protest the reinstatement of the center chief who headed the facility at the time, along with officials of the civic group Orphan Rights and Interests Solidarity. (Yonhap)

The controversy-ridden chief of a child welfare center issued a public apology Monday for 2013 child abuse allegations, despite not directly addressing her role in the incident.

The center in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, sparked victims' anger by reinstating the chief, surnamed Park, who was fined for violation of the Child Welfare Act in 2017.

Child abuse accusations against her included the solitary confinement of children who would not listen to her. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea confirmed the abuse by the facility officials in 2013, filing a report to the prosecution.

"I sincerely apologise to the children who were hurt by the incident that occurred (at the center) in the past. My failure in my role and to fulfill my responsibilities cannot be justified in any way and is entirely my fault. I accept that weight as an adult, and the head of the facility," Park wrote in the statement released to local media.

Claiming that the facility has revamped its operations to prevent similar incidents from occurring again, Park urged the media and the public not to stigmatize the center for the sake of the children living there.

Controversy erupted last week when local media reported that Park had been reinstated as chief since 2023.

Her reinstatement is not against the law: the Social Welfare Service Act states that those fined for child abuse can head a welfare center if five years have passed since the conviction.

Former abuse victims and a local civic group, Orphan Rights and Interests Solidarity, have been protesting the appointment, saying that 18 children who reported the case to the authorities were punished by the juvenile law.

"This was not merely an administrative decision, but state violence in which the victim was treated like a criminal," they said in a press conference held on Friday. "(The appointment) is not a matter of an individual, but a sign that the child welfare system of Korea has collapsed."