Ansan Mayor Yun Hwa-seop's 'Jo Doo-soon Isolation Law' 청 Petition Surpasses 2,000 Signatures in 2 Hours

"Victims' Anxiety and Fear Must Be Eliminated"
Advocating 'Non-Punitive Security Measures' Instead of Double Punishment

Ahead of the year-end scheduled release of Jo Doo-soon, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for the kidnapping and sexual assault of an elementary school student, Ansan Mayor Yoon Hwa-seop urgently requested Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae on the 14th to enact the 'Protective Custody Act' related to sex offenders. Photo by Yonhap News

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Jo Doo-soon (68), a child sex offender, who is scheduled to be released this December, has expressed his intention to return to Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province, where his address and the crime scene are located. In response, Yoon Hwa-seop, the mayor of Ansan, posted a petition on the Blue House website urging the enactment of the "Protective Custody Act," also known as the "Jo Doo-soon Isolation Law," to prevent Jo Doo-soon's recidivism. The petition surpassed 2,000 signatures within just over two hours of its launch.

On the morning of the 23rd at around 9:15 AM, Mayor Yoon posted a petition titled "Strongly Petitioning for the Enactment of the So-called 'Jo Doo-soon Isolation Law' - 'Protective Custody Act'" on the Blue House petition board. As of 11:20 AM, over 2,700 people had agreed. The petition has met the preliminary requirement of more than 100 endorsements, and the administrator is currently reviewing whether to make it public.

Mayor Yoon stated, "The victims of the Jo Doo-soon case, the citizens of Ansan, and the public want Jo Doo-soon to undergo a period of isolated treatment after his release," and added, "On behalf of the citizens of Ansan, I petition for the enactment of the Protective Custody Act."

He further explained, "The protective custody system, targeting child sex offenders, habitual sex offenders, and serial murderers, aims to protect law-abiding citizens and prevent crime through different purposes, facilities, and treatments than prisons. It allows for normal social life, making it distinctly different from punitive security measures. Since its core is the prevention of reoffending and rehabilitation of the offender rather than punishment, it should be regarded as a 'non-punitive security measure,'" drawing a clear line against controversies over double punishment and human rights violations related to the Protective Custody Act.

Regarding the timing of applying the protective custody system, Mayor Yoon emphasized, "By establishing legal provisions that determine the reference point not as the criminal act but as the subject's social reintegration (release) time, we can also exclude controversies over retroactive application of the law."

In conclusion, Mayor Yoon urged, "There are 81 days left until Jo Doo-soon's release. The government and the National Assembly must act swiftly based on national consensus. We must alleviate the anxiety and fear felt by the victims, the citizens of Ansan, and the entire nation. We are all victims of Jo Doo-soon. I earnestly ask you to join me in signing this petition."

Earlier, on the 14th, Mayor Yoon sent a letter to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae requesting the legislation of the Protective Custody Act as a countermeasure following Jo Doo-soon's release.

The Protective Custody Act aims to detain high-risk offenders who have repeatedly committed sex crimes (three or more times), murder crimes (two or more times), or committed sex crimes against children causing serious injury, in separate facilities for a certain period after their sentence ends. However, this bill was proposed during the 19th and 20th National Assembly sessions but was discarded due to controversies over human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Jo Doo-soon, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the abduction and sexual assault of an elementary school student and is currently serving his sentence, is scheduled for full release this December. In July, during a meeting with counselors at the Ansan Probation Office, Jo Doo-soon expressed his intention to return to Ansan, his registered address, upon his release on December 13, increasing the anxiety among Ansan citizens.