Prime Minister Kim Minseok Orders Formation of Task Force on January 30
Special Investigation Team Established within Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Head of Seoul Public Safety and Transportation Bureau Appointed as Special Investigation Team Leader
The police have launched a special investigation team and begun a full-scale investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of women with disabilities at Saekdongwon, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities in Ganghwa County, Incheon.
On the 21st, when the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police System Improvement Advisory Committee is scheduled to announce recommendations on police control measures, the police flag is fluttering in the wind at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police System Improvement Advisory Committee will announce the recommendations on this day. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
On February 1, the National Police Agency announced through a press briefing, "In response to an emergency order from the Prime Minister, a 'Special Investigation Team for the Saekdongwon Case' was formed within the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on January 31."
The special investigation team consists of two investigative units (27 members), 47 police officers from the Sunflower Center, and external experts such as those from sexual violence counseling centers. Kang Ilwon, head of the Public Safety and Transportation Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will lead the special investigation team.
Prime Minister Kim Minseok issued an emergency directive on January 30 regarding the allegations of sexual violence against women with disabilities at Saekdongwon, stating, "The Office of the Prime Minister should take the lead in forming a pan-government joint response task force to swiftly and thoroughly uncover the facts."
A police official stated, "We will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation into allegations of sexual violence, abuse, and misuse of subsidies, and will do our utmost to protect and support the victims."
The police have been investigating sexual violence cases involving residents with disabilities at Saekdongwon since April of last year. The facility director, identified as Mr. A, is suspected of committing sexual abuse against female residents. The police have booked Mr. A on charges of rape and forcible molestation of persons with disabilities under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, and have launched an investigation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
