Stronger punishment expected for sex crimes against teenagers, women

Sex offenders who prey on women aged 13 or older will soon face stronger punishment under a revision to sentencing criteria, court officials said Thursday.

Public calls have grown for tougher sentences for sex crimes after several young girls and women were kidnapped, raped and even killed in recent shocking incidents.

Public anger over the crimes has also sparked debate on whether the death penalty should be carried out. Korea has the death penalty on its books but has not carried out an execution since 1997.

"We will consider additional revisions to sentencing criteria for sex crimes, which have recently become a national concern, in order to establish criteria that meet the expectations of the people," said Lee Ki-su, the head of the Sentencing Commission of the Supreme Court.

The commission is scheduled to hold a general meeting on Friday to discuss the details of the revision, which is expected to take effect in December, according to the court officials.

Under the current criteria, rape of girls and women over the age of 13 can be punished by up to 13 years in prison.

After the revision, the penalty would increase to up to life imprisonment, while the jail term for all other categories of sexual assault could be increased by four more years in addition to what the current guidelines recommend, the officials said.

In January, the commission revised upward the sentencing criteria for sex crimes against children under the age of 13 and established a new set of guidelines for sexual assaults against the disabled.

Under the new guidelines, rapes of minors and the disabled are punishable by up to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively. (Yonhap)