Will President stand by her election pledge?
By Anthony Hegarty
I’m sure none of us were really surprised by the recent arrest of the American child rape suspect wanted in the United States who had been teaching children in Korea for almost a decade.
But what intrigued me about this case was that none of the media identified him. We do not know his name, “officially,” nor do we know what he looks like thanks to the TV mosaics. Yes, he is not a convicted man who is afforded the presumption of innocence, but that does not protect him from the public’s right to know who he is. Why has the decision been taken to protect this man’s identity? Who took it?
Contrast this very serious case to Korea’s presidential spokesman, Yoon Chang-jung, who is alleged to have made advances toward an “adult” intern whilst visiting the United States. He has already lost his job and has been convicted by the mass media and social networks despite the same presumption of innocence.
Korean actor Park Si-hoo was also named in the media when the police referred a case of rape to the prosecutor’s office to request he be charged, fundamentally ending his career regardless of the case outcome.
I make no attempt to sympathize with these two individuals as I believe it is right to name them but, by the same standard, it is very wrong to conceal the identity of the American. Indeed, the reasons for exposing such offenders are best demonstrated by explaining why it is wrong to conceal them.
Respected research in the United States studied 232 men who had been convicted of sex crimes against children. Totally they admitted to 55,000 incidents of molestation. They were successful in 38,000 incidents on 17,000 victims. There are currently 5,895 elementary schools in Korea, thus if those 17,000 victims had been here then that is almost 3 children per school. Is it possible that Korea is hosting 232 sex offenders? It certainly is.
In another U.S. study of 561 sex offenders on all kinds of sexual offences they admitted to 295,000 incidents on 195,000 victims. To put this into perspective, Seoul Olympic stadium has a capacity of 100,000, thus those 561 men alone would essentially fill two stadiums with their victims.
To return to the anonymous American who is wanted for four child rapes in Kentucky but has been hiding in Korea for almost 10 years, can we safely assume he has not abused other children here? I think not!
What the police must not do is rush through some rapid extradition process just to get him out of the country. Instead they must go back over his life here in Korea, the schools he worked at, the children he taught, the parents he befriended ― in order to take care of their children, and the apartments he lived in.
What did his neighbors know of him? A thorough forensic investigation must now take place and where crimes are established they must be dealt with prior to any international transfer. The American public would certainly support such a delay in the extradition process.
The most effective way to encourage victims to come forward is to publish the details of the offender allowing them to recognize him. The police should also disclose details of his victim type as I suspect they will be of a similar age and this will narrow down the search for victims here. If they exist, and I suspect they do, they may now be adults and may still be struggling to cope with their past experiences. Knowing that he has been caught will instill in them courage they may not have been able to muster previously.
President Park Geun-hye promised she would do her utmost to address the problem of child sexual abuse. I believe she is sincere but she must demonstrate that sincerity by suspending any extradition of this individual and order a thorough investigation until the matter is resolved.
The writer is managing director of Discreet Services Risk & Security Management Consulting. His email address is helios@discreet-services.com.