Police consider arrest warrant for head of Saekdongwon over alleged sexual violence: "Full-scale investigation under way"

[Financial News] Police are considering seeking an arrest warrant for the head of Saekdongwon, a facility for people with severe disabilities on Ganghwa Island, following allegations of sexual violence against a woman with disabilities.
Park Jeong-bo, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), stated at a regular briefing on the 9th, "The investigation has progressed significantly, and I believe a decision on how to handle the suspect will be made soon."
Police are investigating Saekdongwon on two fronts: allegations of sexual assault and physical abuse, and suspected misuse of subsidies. The subsidy case is still at the preliminary inquiry stage before a formal charge is filed.
Commissioner Park explained, "Saekdongwon has been receiving about 1 billion won in subsidies each year, and we are investigating whether the funds were properly used," adding, regarding the sexual violence allegations, "Given the nature of the case, the victims have limited ability to communicate, so we are seeking advice from specialized institutions."
Police are conducting a full-scale investigation of all 152 staff members who have worked at Saekdongwon and all 87 current residents. Park said, "Securing victim statements is the most important task," and added, "It is difficult to verify the facts through ordinary methods, so we must first accurately identify and specify the alleged acts of victimization."
Regarding the case in which more than 4.5 million user records from Seoul’s public bicycle service Ttareungyi were leaked, police have identified two suspects. Park noted, "We identified one suspect last year and completed questioning, and during the analysis of seized materials we discovered an accomplice, who was arrested and for whom we sought an arrest warrant, but the request was denied."

jyseo@fnnews.com Reporter Seo Ji-yoon Reporter