Public Hospital Faces Allegations of 400 Abuse Incidents Against Children with Developmental Disabilities

Allegations have been raised that a speech therapist in her 20s at a public children's hospital in Daejeon abused and neglected over 50 children with developmental disabilities more than 400 times within a three-month period. Parents voiced concerns after hearing only the child's voice from the therapy room, prompting the hospital to investigate using CCTV footage.

CCTV footage captured scenes of the therapist restraining a child with developmental disabilities to a chair using belts and a tray. She was then seen neglecting the child for 20 minutes, watching videos on her mobile phone or a tablet, instead of providing therapy.

The hospital terminated the speech therapist's employment on the 19th of last month, and police are currently investigating her on child abuse charges. Authorities are finalizing their analysis of the CCTV footage and plan to conduct an in-person interview with the therapist shortly.