Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin stated on September 1 that he is taking the recent death of a resident at a disabled welfare facility very seriously.
Mayor Shin expressed his commitment to a thorough response regarding the incident at the 'Yegawon' facility in Yatap-dong, where a resident died after being assaulted by a social worker. He indicated that administrative actions and criminal charges would be considered for confirmed violations.
This initiative aims not only to identify accountability for the incident but also to reassess the operational status of all disabled facilities in the area and the protection of residents' human rights to prevent similar occurrences.
Yegawon is a facility funded by 70% national, 4.5% provincial, and 25.5% municipal subsidies.
Mayor Shin has conducted annual inspections and subsidy audits in accordance with the Social Welfare Act and the Disabled Persons Welfare Act, including safety checks in the first and second halves of the year.
However, on July 21, a resident at Yegawon collapsed after being assaulted by a social worker and was taken to the hospital, where he died two days later, raising concerns about the overall management and supervision of the facility.
The social worker involved has been arrested on charges of causing injury leading to death and has been dismissed from the facility.
Following the incident, Mayor Shin conducted two special inspections to investigate the circumstances of the incident and the operational status of the facility.
During these inspections, he found evidence of violations of duty by the facility director and inappropriate directives to staff. It was revealed that the director left the facility without proper leave to attend a personal medical appointment, accompanied by staff.
Mayor Shin has deemed this a violation of duty and has formally requested personnel action against the director, while also initiating administrative action procedures in accordance with relevant laws.
He indicated that if legal responsibility is determined for the facility director in connection with the death, criminal charges will also be considered.
In light of this incident, Mayor Shin has launched a special comprehensive investigation of all disabled facilities in the area.
The investigation will cover operational practices, staff management, resident protection systems, and potential human rights violations.
The investigation team plans to conduct one-on-one interviews with residents and staff to uncover any human rights abuses or improper operations that may not be evident through document reviews alone.
If any illegal or improper practices are identified, strict measures will be taken in accordance with relevant laws, and comprehensive measures will be developed to strengthen facility management and supervision as well as the protection of disabled persons' rights.
There is growing concern in the community regarding the need for tighter management and supervision of disabled facilities.
Citizens emphasize that residents in these facilities are in vulnerable positions and require constant oversight to prevent assaults or human rights violations.
Community members have expressed the need to clarify accountability for the death, establish a system for external verification of internal issues, and ensure that the comprehensive investigation does not become a mere formality.
Additionally, citizens are calling for scrutiny not only of the perpetrator's punishment but also of any management or supervisory issues during the facility's operations, as well as whether there was a system in place to identify warning signs in advance.
Previously, Mayor Shin stated that a joint human rights survey conducted in March by Seongnam City, the Bundang Police Station, and the Seongnam Center for the Promotion of Disabled Persons' Rights found no significant issues at Yegawon.
This joint human rights survey, involving police and professional organizations, is conducted annually in the first and second halves of the year.
Nevertheless, the occurrence of this death has raised questions about the adequacy of existing inspection methods to filter out potential risks within the facility, highlighting the need for a comprehensive review of the management and supervision system.
Mayor Shin Sang-jin stated, "We are taking necessary steps to confirm the facts, clarify accountability, and normalize the facility in a phased manner." He emphasized that based on the investigation results, all possible administrative and legal actions, including administrative penalties and criminal charges, will be pursued to ensure the thorough protection of the rights and safety of disabled individuals.
Furthermore, Mayor Shin plans to closely examine on-site issues through this comprehensive investigation and will pursue institutional improvements if necessary.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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