By Na Jeong-ju
Sex crimes surged by 62 percent under the Lee Myung-bak administration despite repeated pledges to deal sternly with sex offenders, according to an annual crime report released by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) on Monday.
More than 22,000 sex crimes were reported last year, compared to 19,939 in 2010, 16,156 in 2009, 15,094 in 2008 and 13,634 in 2007.
Most occurred in Seoul, where 61.4 such cases per every 100,000 people were reported last year, followed by 60.9 in Bucheon and 56.9 in Suwon, both in Gyeonggi Province.
Sex crimes against children under 13 totaled 1,054 in 2011, of which 23.8 percent were committed by acquaintances, including relatives, neighbors and friends, the report showed.
The number of reported crimes totaled 1.9 million last year. About a third of them were committed between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., and most crimes occurred on Saturdays. About 15.6 percent were committed on Saturdays, 15 percent on Fridays, 14 percent on Tuesdays and 13.9 percent on Thursdays.
The prosecution plans to demand much heavier jail terms for sex offenders, reflecting growing public concern about crimes against minors and women.
According to a joint study by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Institute of Criminology, sex crimes against minors have grown rapidly here over the few past years.
In 2008, 8.6 sex crimes against minors were reported per every 100,000 people in Korea, compared to 6.2 in the United States, 5.1 in Britain and 1 in Germany.
"It's urgent to revise child protection laws and regulations so that sex offenders against minors receive strong punishment. We should also build a better protective system, in which every child in need can receive care," an SPO spokesman said.
According to civic group the Women's Hotline, women usually conceal the fact they were victims of sexual violence and try to deal with the incident themselves for fear of being stigmatized.
Citing cases of sexual abuses reported to the group this year, it said 8.8 percent of the assailants were co-workers or bosses, 8.2 percent were neighbors, 7.2 percent classmates, 6.9 percent family members, 4.3 percent relatives or in-laws, and 3.2 percent professors or teachers. Only 12.8 percent of all sexual violence cases were committed by strangers.
 |
More than 22,000 sex crimes were reported last year, compared to 19,939 in 2010, 16,156 in 2009, 15,094 in 2008 and 13,634 in 2007.
Most occurred in Seoul, where 61.4 such cases per every 100,000 people were reported last year, followed by 60.9 in Bucheon and 56.9 in Suwon, both in Gyeonggi Province.
Sex crimes against children under 13 totaled 1,054 in 2011, of which 23.8 percent were committed by acquaintances, including relatives, neighbors and friends, the report showed.
The number of reported crimes totaled 1.9 million last year. About a third of them were committed between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., and most crimes occurred on Saturdays. About 15.6 percent were committed on Saturdays, 15 percent on Fridays, 14 percent on Tuesdays and 13.9 percent on Thursdays.
The prosecution plans to demand much heavier jail terms for sex offenders, reflecting growing public concern about crimes against minors and women.
According to a joint study by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Institute of Criminology, sex crimes against minors have grown rapidly here over the few past years.
In 2008, 8.6 sex crimes against minors were reported per every 100,000 people in Korea, compared to 6.2 in the United States, 5.1 in Britain and 1 in Germany.
"It's urgent to revise child protection laws and regulations so that sex offenders against minors receive strong punishment. We should also build a better protective system, in which every child in need can receive care," an SPO spokesman said.
According to civic group the Women's Hotline, women usually conceal the fact they were victims of sexual violence and try to deal with the incident themselves for fear of being stigmatized.
Citing cases of sexual abuses reported to the group this year, it said 8.8 percent of the assailants were co-workers or bosses, 8.2 percent were neighbors, 7.2 percent classmates, 6.9 percent family members, 4.3 percent relatives or in-laws, and 3.2 percent professors or teachers. Only 12.8 percent of all sexual violence cases were committed by strangers.
![[INTERVIEW] 'The Devil's Plan' creator, winner unveil strategy behind survival game show](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/1c865968b28e46f58bdde995d98b1e97.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
