▲ Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Hyun Soo-yup apologizes for the child abuse death case in Cheonan ahead of announcing supplementary measures for child abuse prevention and response at the Government Complex-Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd.
It has been revealed that a pastor in his 60s, who was indicted and detained on charges of abusing and killing an 11-year-old child with an intellectual disability at a church in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, had registered as the victim's disability support worker and collected government subsidies.
According to the South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency and Cheonan City, Pastor A, who was indicted on charges of child abuse resulting in death, registered that he provided a total of 15 hours and 30 minutes of activity support services over three days from August 3 to 5, the period leading up to the death of the victim, boy B.
However, investigations showed that boy B had been left unattended and bound to a bed with a metal chain for about 30 hours until emergency responders were dispatched following a report by a church official on the night of August 5.
Police believe that while abusing boy B in his capacity as a support worker, the pastor entered service hours using the disabled activity support voucher card and pocketed the wages.
Under current law, family members such as direct ascendants cannot serve as disability support workers, but A reportedly exploited the loophole that he had no legal family relationship with boy B to register as a support worker.
Police believe that no other support worker was assigned exclusively to boy B besides A, and plan to continue their investigation into charges of illegally receiving government subsidies alongside the charges of child abuse resulting in death.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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