SEONGNAM — The city of Seongnam is pursuing administrative penalties and weighing a criminal complaint over the death of a resident at Yegawon, a residential facility for people with disabilities. The city said it will take firm action on confirmed violations and conduct a special inspection of every disability residential facility in the city to review operations and safeguards for residents' rights.
Yegawon, located in Yatap-dong in the Bundang district, is a residential facility for people with disabilities funded by government subsidies — 70% from the national government, 4.5% from the province and 25.5% from the city, Seongnam said on the 1st. Under the Social Welfare Services Act and the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, the city has carried out annual guidance inspections, subsidy settlement audits and facility safety checks in the first and second halves of each year. Those reviews covered budget execution, staff duty compliance, facility safety and human rights training for both residents and employees.
The death occurred on July 21. A resident of Yegawon collapsed after being assaulted by a social worker employed at the facility and was taken to a hospital, where the resident died three days later. The social worker was detained and referred to prosecutors on a charge of inflicting injury resulting in death, and has since been dismissed from the facility.
Seongnam conducted two special inspections immediately after the incident. The reviews found that at the time of the incident the head of the facility had left the premises for a personal medical checkup, taking a staff member along, without filing for leave or otherwise recording the absence. The city considers this a breach of duty by the facility head and an improper instruction to an employee.
Seongnam has formally asked the facility to take personnel action against its head. Administrative penalty procedures under the relevant laws are also under way. If the city concludes, based on the outcome of its own review and the police investigation, that the facility head bears legal responsibility for the resident's death, it plans to consider filing a criminal complaint.
Treating the case as a serious matter, the city has also begun a special inspection of every disability residential facility under its jurisdiction. Inspectors will focus on how the facilities are run, how staff duty is managed and what systems are in place to protect residents. They will also conduct one-on-one interviews with residents and staff to determine whether there have been human rights violations or improper management.
If the inspection turns up illegal or improper practices, Seongnam said it will act under the relevant laws. The city also plans to strengthen its oversight framework based on the findings and draw up a comprehensive set of measures to prevent recurrence and better protect the rights of people with disabilities.
Seongnam said it had surveyed human rights conditions at Yegawon in March, together with the Bundang Police Station and the Seongnam Center for the Advancement of Rights of Persons with Disabilities, covering both residents and staff, but that nothing unusual was found at the time. The joint survey, which involves police and specialized agencies, is conducted twice a year.
"We regard the death of a resident with the utmost gravity," a Seongnam official said. "We are moving step by step to establish the facts, determine where responsibility lies and return the facility to normal operation." The official added, "Depending on the findings, we will take every measure available, including administrative penalties and a criminal complaint, and will protect the human rights and safety of people with disabilities more thoroughly."
