By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff reporter
Minister of Public Administration and Security Maeng Hyung-kyu said Thursday that he will consider chemical castration for convicted pedophiles, as part of government efforts to prevent sex crimes against children.
When asked by Rep. Chun Yu-ok of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) about a series of recent sexual assaults against minors by middle-aged men, the minister told lawmakers during an interpellation session that it is worth considering introducing a mechanism designed to offer chemically castration, adding those who rape minors are mentally disturbed.
Touching on the government's inadequate supervision of sex offenders, Maeng said, "Kim Soo-cheol (the rapist of a schoolgirl) should have told his probation officer that he was residing in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, when he moved there as a convicted sex criminal. But he did not and the district police were not aware of his presence. We need to revise the related laws or take necessary measures to boost the control of sex offenders to better ensure public safety."
On June 7, Kim kidnapped a girl who was strolling across the playground of her school in Yeongdeungpo to attend an after-school class and raped her at his home. The assault left the girl in a critical physical condition, which doctors say will require months of intensive medical care. Kim was caught just 10 hours after he committed the attack near the crime scene.
The incident came four months after a teenage girl in Busan was raped and killed by Kim Gil-tae. In December 2008, an elementary school pupil was beaten unconscious and raped by Cho Doo-soon who was sentenced to 12 years in jail by the Supreme Court last September.
Minister of Gender Equality and Family Paik Hee-young also spoke on chemical castration. "We need to implement all possible measures to stop sex crimes against children. If necessary, we should have pedophiles chemically castrated. But there are many who are concerned about this procedure on sex offenders. Another problem is the costs will be substantially high. We first need to consult with professionals before introducing it."
A bill legalizing the chemical castration of pedophiles is currently pending at the National Assembly. It was initiated in March by Rep. Park Sun-young of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party, following Kim Gil-tae's rape and murder of a teenage girl in Busan.
Park has said that Korea should introduce the measure, stressing the nation has the world's third highest rape rate and the number of child rapes here has surged by 70 percent over the past three years.
Countries, such as Switzerland, Demark and Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, and several states in America have legalized either voluntary chemical or physical castration to prevent recidivism.