Former Special Forces Caregiver Found Assaulting 80-Year-Old Dementia Patient, Case Referred to Prosecutors

Busan Geumjeong Police Station.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] It has been revealed that a 30-year-old caregiver, a former special forces soldier, assaulted an elderly male dementia patient in his 80s, and the case has been handed over to the prosecution.

On the 24th, the Geumjeong Police Station in Busan announced that they had referred 30-year-old caregiver A to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Elderly Welfare Act.

A is accused of assaulting 80-year-old B at a nursing home in Busan around 6:30 p.m. on September 12, including slapping B’s cheek and knocking him down.

According to the police, when B, who suffers from dementia, entered the women's living room, a space where he had lived in the past, A stopped him, saying it was the wrong place.

Soon, a scuffle ensued between the two, during which A slapped B’s cheek. Then, A grabbed both of B’s wrists, threw him to the floor, and subdued him by pressing B’s side with his knee.

A, a former special forces soldier, resigned from the nursing home two days after the incident. A stated, “The assault was not intentional; it happened during the process of trying to stop him,” and added, “I apologized to the elder immediately and, after some consideration, decided to quit the job myself.”

The nursing home took B to the hospital the day after the incident upon noticing his injuries. The nursing home, which learned of the assault late after an insider recorded the incident on video and reported it as a public interest whistleblower, filed a police complaint against A.

The victim’s family expressed outrage, saying, “Due to the COVID-19 situation, we could not visit, so we were unable to properly care for our father who was placed in the nursing home. The nursing home’s delayed notification of the assault makes us fearful of entrusting our elder to them.”

A Busan city welfare official said, “Once the COVID-19 situation eases somewhat, we will strengthen monitoring of facilities in consultation with the Autonomous Police Committee and elderly protection agencies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.