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| A screen capture from the movie "Hope" that tells the horrific story of one of the country's most notorious child rapists, Cho Doo-soon. / Korea Times file |
By Jun Ji-hye
Ansan Mayor Yoon Wha-sub is calling for the legislation of a new law to keep child sex offenders in a state-run facility for some time after their release from prison, to maintain their segregation from society.
The mayor's call comes as one of the country's most notorious child rapists, Cho Doo-soon, is scheduled to be released from prison, Dec. 13, after serving a 12-year term for kidnapping an eight-year-old girl who he raped repeatedly in a church bathroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in 2008.
The victim, at the time, sustained severe injuries including intestinal ruptures.
Cho, 68, said he is planning to return to Ansan to live with his wife after his upcoming release, according to the Ministry of Justice. This has raised fears and anger among Ansan residents, including the victim's family.
Mayor Yoon said many residents as well as the victim and her family want Cho to be isolated for a period of time following his release from prison.
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| Ansan Mayor Yoon Wha-sub / Courtesy of Ansan city government |
A bill to establish the law to keep habitual sex offenders, habitual murders as well as child rapists in a state-run facility for a period after their release from prison had previously been discussed at the National Assembly. But it was scrapped due to a controversy over double indemnity and infringement of human rights.
Regarding this controversy, Mayor Yoon stressed that the conditions and treatment at a post-release facility would be different from prison.
"The aim of the post-release facility is not to punish those released from prison, but to protect citizens and prevent crimes," he wrote. "With just about 80 days left until Cho's release, the government and the National Assembly should promptly move to enact such a law to resolve residents' fear and unease."
Yoon's petition garnered more than 43,700 signatures as of 2 p.m. Thursday.
The petition came after the mayor had lodged an urgent request to enact the law in a letter sent to Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Sept. 14.
As news about Cho's plans to return to Ansan has continued to spur anxiety in the city, the local government has drawn up several precautionary measures, including a plan to install 211 surveillance cameras at 64 spots, including near his house, by the end of the year.
Amid growing concerns over Cho's release, the victim's father said in an interview with a local newspaper that the family was hoping to move to another region after learning about his plan to return to Ansan.
This is adding fuel to public anger, with online commentators calling on the government to come up with proper measures to protect the victim.
