By Lee Kyung-min
A mentally challenged woman who was kept in a state mental hospital for 33 years filed a compensation suit against the government Wednesday.
The plaintiff, Hong Jeong-in, 56, claimed in a petition that she had to “waste” so many years in the hospital due to the government’s negligence in checking her identity.
She filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court, demanding 100 million won ($98,000) in compensation from the government.
Her mental state was stable enough to make herself understood, according to the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person’s Right in Korea, which is helping her.
“Hong had to spend 33 years after being taken there by a district official. Even if she wins, her lost years will not be fully covered by monetary compensation, but I think compensation would help console her,” said Youm Hyung-kuk, Hong’s lawyer.
“Both police and government officials failed to follow the identification process, even though they were legally bound to do so. Also, they just put her in the hospital, rather than trying to locate her family members. The victim and her family suffered greatly as a consequence.
“I hope this case will shed light on the general issues of government negligence, as well an abuse of human rights,” he said.
Hong left home in Seoul in January 1980 looking for employment. After a short time, she was taken by a sex trafficking ring and put to work as a prostitute in a number of unidentified places for almost three years.
She managed to escape, but had to live on the streets for a while.
In June 1982, she ended up at a train station in Busan, where police handed her over to a district official in Namgu.
Then, the district office decided to put her in a state mental hospital.
Hong was released in December 2013, after the government confirmed her identity by checking her fingerprints.