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| Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon speaks during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Thursday. Newsis |
Inspired by Jessica's Law, justice minister vows to push for revision to law
By Jung Min-ho
Korea will seek to limit where convicted high-risk sex offenders can reside after finishing their prison sentences in an effort to better protect children and women.
Speaking to President Yoon Suk Yeol about the ministry's plans for this year, Thursday, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said he will push for a revision to the anti-sex crime law as one of its five main projects.
If passed, the law would bar child sex criminals and those convicted of repeated sex offense charges from residing within 500 meters of a daycare center, kindergarten or school.
This means that sex offenders would not be allowed to live in almost all residential areas of big cities such as Seoul where such facilities for minors are ubiquitous.
Critics say such a law would violate the Constitution that guarantees citizens' freedom of residence and the right to move at will. Some claim it would be tantamount to "double punishment." But Han disagrees.
"It is not a penalty regulation but a back-up measure to prevent reoffending, which, therefore, does not constitute double punishment," he said during a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul following his presentation to the president.
After collecting more opinions from experts and reviewing the legality of the bill, the ministry plans to submit it to the National Assembly in May.
The plan comes after recent social outcries over the release of infamous sex offenders such as Cho Doo-soon who took up residence in areas with schools and other child-oriented facilities nearby.
The ministry said it was modeled after Jessica's Law, a Florida act that mandates a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison for first-time child sex offenders. It was named after Jessica Lunsford, a Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and killed in 2005 by John Couey, a previously convicted sex offender. Similar laws including restrictions on where sex offenders can reside have since spread to other states.
The ministry is pushing for a number of additional changes to benefit society including moves to root out drug-related crimes and to launch an independent administrative agency for immigration in the coming months.
The ministry says it will strengthen monitoring online channels such as the dark web where illegal drugs are bought and sold and, in cooperation with other government departments, the ministry will enhance anti-drug education and rehabilitation programs to support drug addicts through their recovery process.
Drug crimes have increasingly become a social problem in recent years. Earlier that day, the prosecution said it indicted 17 people on charges of using or selling marijuana. A son of a former top-level police officer, the grandson of major dairy company founder and a grandson of Hyosung Group's founder are among the suspects.
Regarding the ministry's planned independent administrative agency for immigration, once established, it is expected to serve as a command center for all foreigner-related policies at a time when Korea is coping with record-low birthrates and a shrinking economically active population.
"Serious calls for immediate measures to be taken to deal with issues such as population decline and labor shortages have become louder in recent years," Han said. "I'm determined to get this done."
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