The assault on a young girl by a convicted rapist last week revealed another shameful spot on our society; its utter powerlessness in protecting its weakest members from brutal criminals.
What makes this incident all the more shocking is that it comes when the public is still smarting from the aftermath of the rape-murder cases of two schoolgirls, whose suspected killer was caught last month. These incidents show that the law enforcement authorities are neither able nor eager to prevent these hideous crimes or even quickly solve them when they take place.
The first culprit for the recurrence of sexual violence against children is judicial leniency. Last year, only 257 out of the 702 child molesters and assaulters were kept behind bars. The law stipulates a minimum of five years in prison for rapists of children under 13 years of age, far lighter than the comparable U.S. punishment of 25 years.
The penalties for child molesters are just one year in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. In 2005, only 31.4 percent of offenders found guilty of sexual crimes were imprisoned with the remainder either given suspended sentences or fines. Little wonder the percentage of child assault recidivists has reached up to 70 percent with 30 percent of them being habitual offenders.
So the Justice Ministry's decision Tuesday to drastically enhance the punishment to life in jail without parole or even the death penalty is understandable and agreeable -- if only emotionally. There can be little dispute to sentencing these inhumane and psychotic criminals to the harshest punishment possible, considering the grief and anger the young victims undergo throughout the remainder of their lives.
The ministry's measure to force the ex-convicts to wear electronic anklets until there are clear signs of treatment for pedophilia is also going in the direction of most advanced countries.
But confining those criminals who have done their time to detention facilities is equivalent to double jeopardy. Some might deny the human rights of these inhumane criminals but this is a country in which the rule of law, as one of its foremost principles, should be respected. Moreover, keeping the sexual predators out of public sight can only be a second-best option unless the authorities separate them from the rest of society for good, which they cannot.
Psychiatrists say pedophilia is one of the hardest psychological diseases to cure, but this does not mean society should abandon this most pitiful of groups. So any additional detainment of these sexual offenders beyond legal boundaries should be accompanied by proper medical treatment in this country, which seeks to join the ranks of advanced nations.
Before discussing the introduction of advanced steps to combat these sexual predators, however, one thing seems very clear: If the government spends one hundredth of its anti-speculation budget or the police allocate one tenth of its anti-demonstration manpower to fight these crimes, the rapid increase in sexual predators will slow down.