Tougher rules required on revealing suspect info

By Kang Seung-woo

There are growing calls for improving the effectiveness of disclosing a suspect's face and name, after a woman allegedly involved in a gruesome killing of her ex-husband has adeptly kept her face hidden from the public.

Ko Yoo-jung, a suspect in the murder case of her ex-husband, leaves Jeju Dongbu Police Station, Wednesday. / Yonhap

Ko Yoo-jung, 36, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her ex-husband, surnamed Kang, on Jeju Island and dismembering his body before discarding the pieces in at least three locations across the nation.

Citing sufficient grounds to believe she committed the crime and the severity of the case, police decided, Wednesday, to disclose Ko's personal information, including her face.

However, when Ko was returning to jail following a police investigation at the Jeju Dongbu Police Station, Thursday, her identity was not revealed at all because she kept her head down, letting her long hair cover her face.

As a result, some are crying foul, demanding the relevant law be revised.

According to the Act on Special Cases concerning Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, a suspect's name, face, age and other personal details can be disclosed if police have sufficient grounds to believe the suspect has committed the crime, and when disclosing such information is necessary for the public interest to guarantee the people's right to know, and prevent other similar crimes. The act was made law in 2010.

However, while the regulation does not allow suspects to wear a mask or a cap, it cannot prevent them from hiding their faces with long hair or a shirt collar.

In Ko's case, police officers who surrounded her did not take any actions to reveal her face out of concern that the unspecified measures may spark another controversy over human rights abuse.

In other countries such as Canada, Japan and the United States, investigative authorities release suspects' mugshots to the public.

However, Ko’s face was finally exposed to the media, Friday, while she was moving to an interview room with her hair tied up.