◀ Anchor ▶
A ‘children’s group home’ is a place where children and teenagers who cannot be taken care of at home for various reasons are protected in a small group of up to 7 people.
A report has been received that the director of a group home in Gyeonggi-do abused children for two years and even forced them to be hospitalized in a mental hospital, and is under investigation.
First, let’s look at reporter Yoo Seo-young’s exclusive report.
◀ Report ▶
A two-story house with garbage scattered in the yard and no people.
It is a ‘group home’ in Gyeonggi-do where minors who have difficulty living at home live together in groups under the care of a manager.
It has been closed since last year.
This is because two years ago, a report was received that the director of this place, Pastor Seong Mo, and his son were habitually abusing children.
The children said they often heard verbal abuse from the director and were beaten with wooden massage sticks or shoes.
[피해 아동 A – 피해 아동 B]
″There were times when I had blood all over my back and there were times when I was hit in the head.″
<때릴 때 뭐라고 하고 때렸는지?>
″I asked if it was a cult (religion) once, but I got more angry and got hit more.″
In addition to corporal punishment called ‘duck walking’ or ‘stretching down’, there were also testimonies that a child who had undergone heart surgery was given a ‘cold shower’.
[피해 아동 B]
″Cyanosis and shortness of breath kept coming, and OO (another victim child) told the director, but the director said ‘that’s a show’ and just a ‘act of self-play’…”
There are also reports of sightings of confinement damage.
″I even punished a child who said he was most afraid of being locked up in a dark or small place by locking him in a warehouse for 3 hours.
Why did children suffer like this?
It is said that it is because they were caught secretly holding a cell phone or because they came home late.
Seong even admitted two middle and high school students to a mental hospital for as long as six months.
They say they were children diagnosed with schizophrenia.
However, other children testify that it is in fact ‘forced hospitalization’.
If he didn’t listen to Seong’s demand to say ‘I hear hallucinations’, he had to be prepared for assault.
Seong’s son even put acupuncture on the children, saying, “I’ll make you feel better.”
He said he studied ‘alternative medicine’ abroad.
[피해 아동 C]
″(My son) studied oriental medicine at the same time as a facility teacher. Because of that, they now do a lot of oriental medicine procedures for us.”
Seong’s side acknowledged the procedure itself, but claims that it was “not dangerous.”
On the other hand, all other harsh acts are denying the allegations.
[성 씨]
<아예 때리신 적이 없다(고요?)>
“no.”
<혼내신 적도 없으세요?>
″I didn’t even do that. I’m old. I am an old man in his seventies.”
The police handed over the director Sung and his son to the prosecution with the opinion of indicting them for child abuse.
This is Yoo Seo-young from MBC News.
Video coverage: Lee Ji-ho Lee Kwan-ho / Video editing: Lee Hye-ji
