Govt to Compile Sex Offenders Database
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said Thursday his ministry will compile a DNA database of people found guilty of sexual crimes, and impose a compulsory re-education program on all those convicted of rape or child molestation.
Kim added that the tighter measures against sexual assault also include putting electronic ankle monitors on those convicted ― following their release ― from the end of the year.
The recent murder of two elementary schoolgirls by a man with a criminal record has convinced the public that monitoring people previously convicted of sex crimes is necessary.
Related laws have been pending at the National Assembly since 2006.
Some welcomed the move while others decried it. Human rights groups are opposing it amid concerns over the infringement of criminals' rights to start new lives after being punished.
The National Human Rights Commission said the database would prevent those convicted of sex crimes from starting anew as they would always be suspects in future crimes, which could interfere with their lives. It also said the information could be manipulated or abused.
Human Rights vs Crime Prevention
However, lawyers and other civic groups welcomed the ministry's plan. Lawyer Kim Su-jin said the database will remind people that sexual crimes are serious, and will help police narrow their search when one is committed.
Kim said stricter punishment was the only way to prevent such crimes. ``Korea has been very lenient to them. However, what really works is keeping a watch on them and restraining them,'' she said.
According to police reports, those with criminal records committed 61 percent of 15,326 sex crimes in 2006.
However, punishment was relatively mild ― only 29 percent of child molesters were sentenced to prison terms, while 47 percent were fined.
In Florida and other U.S. states, those who molest children under 11 years of age face more than 25 years in prison. Some parts of New Jersey and New York State restrict former sex offenders from becoming residents. In Texas, convicted molesters must identify themselves by hanging signs on their doors and cars. In Colorado and other states, chronic molesters get chemical treatment to kill their sex-drive, something that had been considered in Korea several years ago.
The United Kingdom and Germany have databases of such criminals, whereas France, Switzerland and Australia make convicted molesters wear electronic anklelets to trace their whereabouts at all times.
``We need to severely punish not only child molesters but all sexual predators,'' a Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center staff member said.
On the other hand, sex crime experts say preventive education is much more important. ``Currently, only those who are ordered by the court to receive treatment are subject to re-education to prevent recidivism. It should be mandatory. Many of them are pedophiles or psychopaths,'' said Yoon Duk-kyung, a researcher at the Korean Women's Development Institute.