Shin Chung-sik, Incheon City Councillor: "The Ganghwa Saekdongwon Incident is a Warning for Welfare Administration"... Calls for Comprehensive Investigation

Shin Chung-sik, a member of the Incheon Metropolitan Council (People Power Party, Seo-gu 4), has urged the city of Incheon to implement fundamental measures to prevent recurrence, including a comprehensive investigation of welfare facilities and the expansion of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in light of the recent sexual violence incident at Ganghwa Saekdongwon.

According to Shin on the 2nd, during the Health and Welfare Bureau work report at the 306th extraordinary session of the Incheon City Council, he stated, "Similar human rights violation allegations have been raised in various welfare facilities, including those for the disabled," and pointed out that "we need to shift from reactive measures after incidents occur to a prevention-focused administration."

Shin emphasized that this incident should not be viewed merely as an individual facility's deviation but as a warning signal that necessitates a review of the entire welfare administration. Accordingly, he called for a comprehensive inspection and strengthening of preventive measures in Incheon.

Specifically, he proposed a comprehensive investigation of welfare facilities, the expansion of CCTV installation and management standards within facilities, mandatory human rights training for staff, and improvements to internal reporting systems. He particularly noted that all measures should be designed with the protection of victims as the top priority.

Shin stated, "Incheon City must prepare a feasible action plan to ensure that such incidents do not happen again," and added, "The administration and civil society must work together to create a transparent and safe welfare facility environment."