Horrific crime: South Koreans fear release of pedophile rapist from 2008

The Minister of Justice Lee Kwi-nam speaks to pedophile rapist Cho Doo-soon at Cheongsong Prison, Mar. 16, 2010. Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping a girl, 8, in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in December 2008. / Korea Times file

By Ko Dong-hwan

A pedophile rapist's inhuman act in the city of Ansan in 2008 tested South Koreans' resilience to extreme shock.

About 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 11, Cho Doo-soon, then 56, saw a girl, 8, in front of a commercial building in the Gyeonggi Province city.

The drunken man gagged her with his hand and carried her to a public toilet in the building. He bashed and choked her until she fell unconscious. He then sexually assaulted her, causing horrific internal injuries. About 30 minutes later, he left the unconscious victim at the scene and went home.

Danwon police arrested Cho two days later after their investigation found his fingerprints in the toilet and bloodstains on his clothes and shoes.

Despite prosecutors' demand for life imprisonment, the final court ruling dismissed the unrepentant Cho's appeal and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. The sentence's leniency enraged the public.

While the attack has remained one of South Korea's worst rape crimes, a petition posted on the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae's homepage on Sep. 6 grabbed national attention. Titled "Veto to Cho Doo-soon's discharge," the petition said the rapist, serving his sentence in Cheongsong Prison in North Gyeongsang Province, should never be released.

The post has gained over 208,757 votes, passing the 200,000 that requires the presidential office to state its official stance on the issue within 30 days. Petition supporters said "the nation must protect all underage victims" and "12 years doesn't compensate the victim's traumatic experience."

South Korean singer Ali's 2011 song "Nayoung" ― referring to the victim of Cho Doo-soon's attack ― was criticized because some lyrics upset listeners. The song was written without the agreement of the victim and her family. Critics, including the victim's parents, said some of the lyrics depicted the girl as a prostitute. / Korea Times file

While Cho has three years left to serve, the public and lawmakers are questioning whether there are ways to keep him behind bars. The South Korean legal system does not allow a retrial of a convicted criminal unless there is new evidence or new witnesses.

Rep. Pyo Chang-won of the ruling Democratic Party, also head of the Pyo Institute of Crime Science, said a new law was needed to deal with criminals like Cho and prevent them reoffending. Cho has a long criminal record.

Some of the starkest sentiments behind the public's opposition to Cho's discharge involve the heinous nature of the crime and their discontent with the judiciary's controversial decision not to seek the maximum sentence because Cho was drunk.

Authorities have withheld the victim's name to protect her and her parents.

In January 2010, the girl had successful surgery to repair her colon and reproductive system, according to the nation's online encyclopedia. But her mental trauma has reportedly worsened. She fears that after becoming a doctor ― which she dreams of ― she might again encounter Cho.

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