Ex-executive pleads guilty to raping woman with intellectual disability who later gave birth

A former executive in his 60s at a workplace employing people with disabilities acknowledged the charges against him at his first trial hearing Friday, after being indicted on allegations of raping a woman in her 20s with an intellectual disability.

The defendant's attorney said "we acknowledge all charges in the indictment" at the opening trial session held Friday before the 14th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court, presided over by Judge Son Seung-beom, Yonhap reported. The defendant, identified only as A, was indicted and detained on charges of quasi-rape of a person with a disability under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes.

When the presiding judge asked whether the defendant had confessed to the crimes, A replied, "Yes."

A was indicted on charges of raping victim B, a woman in her 20s with an intellectual disability, five times between last summer and June 9 — at his own residence, the residence of his former wife, and inside a vehicle.

B was assaulted while working at a laundry business designated as a standard workplace for people with disabilities, where A served as an executive, beginning in October 2024.

Both have since left the company.

B gave birth after reporting the assaults. Her health is poor — she has a second-degree intellectual disability with a cognitive level equivalent to that of a 7-year-old and also suffers from a rare disease.

Her father is now caring for both his daughter and the child.

Outside the courtroom Friday, B's father said his daughter had been diagnosed with a rare disease that is progressively weakening her muscles and that she has difficulty moving around.

A appeared before media as he entered the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of Aug. 12 for a pre-arrest detention hearing.

With his face covered by a hat and mask, A said "I'm sorry" when asked whether he had anything to say to the victim or her family, and whether he was claiming the relationship was consensual, Yonhap reported.

When asked whether he acknowledged the rape charges, he said "I have nothing to say," and remained silent when further questions followed.

Police received the report in March and, after conducting an investigation, determined that A needed to be detained and applied for a pre-arrest warrant.

A was subsequently indicted and detained following the detention hearing.

Before the hearing, the sexual violence counseling center of the Incheon Association for the Welfare of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities held a press conference outside the court, saying the victim's "entire life was shattered by pregnancy and childbirth after being sexually assaulted by a former executive at her workplace," and calling on the court to "immediately detain the suspect, given the gravity of the case and the need to protect the victim."

B's father, who attended the press conference, said, "I urge the court to impose a severe punishment so that no other victim ever suffers the same fate."