Child rapist caught on Jeju after 20 days

By Park Si-soo

Staff reporter

A man placed on the wanted list for raping a 7-year-old girl in central Seoul late last month was caught on Jeju Island, police said Friday.

The 26-year-old, identified only by his surname Yang, was apprehended Thursday night at a hospital on the island. An arrest warrant will soon be sought for him, police said. Yang is the latest suspect in a series of child rape cases in recent months that have pushed the government and politicians to overhaul what people see as soft punishments meted out to such sexual predators.

In response, the National Assembly has legalized the chemical castration of certain criminals guilty of sex crimes and the courts have made more convicted sex offenders, who have served their time in prison, wear electronic anklets to monitor their movements and prevent them from re-offending.

According to police, Yang was at a hospital seeking medical attention for a wrist injury he sustained in a suicide attempt while on the run.

Tracking down the suspect based on records of his cell phone use and surveillance cameras, police found Yang arriving at Jeju International Airport around 2 p.m., Thursday, with his left arm bandaged.

"We inspected almost all the hospitals on the island on the assumption that he had visited one or was admitted for treatment," said an investigator involved in the operation. "It was confirmed he met his parents upon arrival and then visited the hospital."

What drove him to try and kill himself is still uncertain, but police believe he felt the extreme pressure of the widening manhunt for him.

He has been regarded as the prime suspect since the beginning of the investigation because DNA discovered on the victim's body showed an identical match with the man. Police secured his DNA during an initial probe covering residents near the crime scene.

On June 26, Yang entered the 7-year-old girl's home in Jangan-dong, Dongdaemun, central Seoul, and sexually assaulted her. He is also suspected of stealing two gold rings and cash from her parents' house.