// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Forced to call him 'Dad': Trial over sexual abuse in disabled care home shocks South Korea
"I was hurting inside, so I came to tell my story."
These were Seo Mi-hyeon's first words to the police.
Seo, who has an intellectual disability, struggles to form long sentences and can only communicate through brief words and gestures. But her memories of the abuse inflicted upon her were clear.
She was one of three residents at a state-run care home in South Korea who were sexually assaulted by the home's director, in a case that has shocked the country and raised serious questions about state care for the disabled.
Earlier this month, a court in Seoul sentenced the director - who has only been identified by his surname Kim - to 15 years in prison. Kim is appealing the conviction.
The court had heard that some residents were made to call the director "Dad", which prosecutors said illustrated the unequal relationship between Kim and those in his care.
The ruling came nearly two years after Seo, who is in her 40s, first disclosed the abuse to her mother.
We have changed Seo's name and the names of another victim in this story to protect their identities.
Seo first began living in Saekdongwon, a care home for the intellectually disabled, in 2016.
The institute, located in the city of Incheon, is fully subsidised by the state and still houses some 33 residents, although it has been asked to close down in light of this case.