Aquaculture Business Owner Sentenced for Imprisoning Intellectually Disabled Person on Island and Forcing 15 Years of Unpaid Labor

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] A cage aquaculture operator was sentenced to prison for failing to pay wages while employing an intellectually disabled person for 15 years on an island.

On the 21st, Judge Kang Seong-hoon of the Criminal Division 1, Tongyeong Branch of Changwon District Court sentenced Im Mo (58), who was arrested and prosecuted on charges of habitual fraud and violation of the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act for employing someone without paying wages for a long period, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

Im was charged with violating the Minimum Wage Act for employing a severely intellectually disabled person, A, who lived in the same village, as a worker at his cage aquaculture farm in Yokjido, Tongyeong City, from June 2002 to May 2017, making him work for 15 years without paying wages amounting to 174 million KRW.

Im is also accused of assaulting A for selling fish from the farm without permission and damaging the engine of the fishery management boat.

Judge Kang stated, "The guilt is very serious as the defendant made an intellectually disabled person, who had difficulty complaining about the damage for a long time, work without paying wages, making a prison sentence inevitable."

Judge Kang also sentenced C (56), a political net owner from Geoje, who was prosecuted without detention on charges of employing B as a worker from 2017 to 2018, paying less than the minimum wage, making him work, and assaulting him, to 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation, a fine of 300,000 KRW, and ordered 80 hours of community service.

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