Sinan Salt Farm Owner Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for 10-Year Exploitation of Disabled Worker

Charged with Embezzling Over 96 Million Won in Wages

Ordered 10-Year Employment Ban at Disability-Related Institutions

A business owner who exploited a person with an intellectual disability for 10 years at a salt farm in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, and embezzled their wages, has been sentenced to a prison term.

On April 22, Choi Hyunjung, Chief Judge of the Criminal Division 3 at the Mokpo Branch of the Gwangju District Court, sentenced salt farm owner A (age 60), who was arrested and indicted on charges including quasi-fraud and violation of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act, to three years in prison and ordered a 10-year restriction on employment at disability-related institutions.

From April 2014 to August 2024, A was indicted for forcing B (age 65), a person with a severe intellectual disability, to work at the salt farm he operated in Sinan County, and for exploiting more than 96 million won in wages. To avoid detection, A made irregular deposits into B's bank account to make it appear as if proper wages were being paid, but it was revealed that A's younger sibling, C, was actually managing the account.

The exploitation of the victim continued outside the salt farm. C, the business owner's sibling, siphoned off 45 million won from B under the pretense of a housing deposit and used it for stock investments and other purposes. After B was transferred to a nursing hospital, hospital staff member D approached B, embezzled 90 million won under the pretext of a single-room deposit, and also withdrew over 20 million won from B's account without authorization for personal use.

The accomplices who were tried together were also found guilty. C was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and hospital staff member D was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, suspended for two years. Acquaintance E, who received 10.5 million won from A to help cover up the investigation, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

The court stated, "The defendants systematically misappropriated the assets of a person with a disability who was vulnerable to crime and had difficulty recognizing or reporting the harm. In the case of salt farm owner A, he committed similar offenses repeatedly despite previous convictions, and given the duration of the crime and the size of the illicit gains, the gravity of the offense is extremely serious," explaining the sentencing decision.

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