Soldiers' sex crimes against minors on rise: report

A growing number of Korean soldiers have been caught committing sexual offenses against children and adolescents in the last four years, while the total number of sex crimes among active servicemen has decreased, a report showed Monday.

The number of active soldiers who were caught sexually assaulting minors steadily grew to 69 last year, up from 47 in 2008, 53 in 2009 and 67 in 2010, according to the report submitted by the Army, Navy and Air Force to Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the main opposition Democratic United Party. Forty-one soldiers were booked for sex offenses against minors in the first half of this year.

Out of the total number of sex crimes, those involving underage girls accounted for 19.4 percent last year, a rise from 11.2 percent in 2008, 13.7 percent in 2009, and 17.4 percent in 2010, the report showed.

Many of them committed the sexual offenses outside the barracks while they were on vacation, it noted.

On the contrary, the total number of sex crimes committed by the soldiers steadily shrank to 355 last year, from 419 in 2008, 387 in 2009 and 384 in 2010, the report said.

The number of those who were caught buying sex, which is banned by law, also dropped to 55 last year, compared to 147 in 2008, 135 in 2009, and 118 in 2010.

In Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve about two years of military service as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)