Concerns Over Anxiety Among Victims' Families and Nearby Residents
Youtubers Gathered at Jodusun's Release, Leading to Continued Resident Harm
Outrage Over Victims' Families Moving Away
Kim Geun-sik, who sexually assaulted minors repeatedly, is scheduled to be released next month. Photo by Incheon Police Agency
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Anxiety is growing among citizens as child sex offender Kim Geun-sik is expected to be released in October. Previously, when sex offender 'Jo Doo-soon' was released, severe harm and anxiety occurred among the victim's family and local residents. The police announced plans to strengthen security activities around Kim's expected residence.
According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Kim, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2006 under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes and Protection of Victims for charges including rape of a minor, is set to complete his sentence next month. From May 24 to September 11, 2006, Kim sexually assaulted 11 minors in Seo-gu, Incheon, and Goyang, Siheung, and Paju cities in Gyeonggi Province.
Kim has 19 prior convictions, including a previous minor sexual assault conviction in 2000, leading to assessments that the severity of his crimes is "worse than Jo Doo-soon's." At the time of the 2006 crimes, it was found that Kim committed the offenses just 16 days after being released from a 5-year sentence for rape causing injury in 2000.
As Kim's release approaches, citizens' anxiety is increasing. On local Naver community cafes in Incheon and surrounding Gyeonggi areas, voices of concern continue, such as "We need to be especially cautious," "A serial child sex offender is being released; it's obvious that more victims will emerge," and "I'm scared, can children even go outside?"
On October 13, 2020, about two months before the release of Jo Doo-soon, an elementary school student kidnapper and sex offender, officials were installing security CCTV in an alleyway in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]
When news of child sex offender Jo's release was announced in 2020, citizens were also gripped by anxiety. A petition opposing Jo's release gathered 615,354 signatures in September 2017, and a related petition in October the following year received 261,418 signatures. As Jo's release approached, warnings of retaliation and petitions were posted one after another.
Jo was sentenced to 12 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an elementary school student in front of a church in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in December 2008, causing serious injuries, and was released in December 2020 after serving his sentence.
At the time of Jo's release, public outrage spread as the victim's family moved to another area. About a month before Jo's release in November 2020, the victim's father, Mr. A, told the media, "We endured so as not to set a precedent where the victim flees from the offender," but added, "However, the child shed tears and suffered from anxiety and nightmares after hearing about Jo Doo-soon's release, so we decided to leave Ansan, where we had lived for over 20 years."
YouTubers competing in broadcasting near the residential area where Jo Doo-soon lives in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on December 13, 2020. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Ansan city government took measures such as installing 211 additional security cameras around Jo's residence and increasing patrols nearby, but these efforts were deemed insufficient to alleviate the anxiety of the victim's family and local community. Especially after Jo's release, various YouTubers and citizens flocked daily, causing nearby residents to express not only anxiety but also complaints of harm. On the day of Jo's release in December of the same year, it was estimated that more than 150 YouTubers entered the residential alleys near Jo's home.
Meanwhile, the police have prepared measures to strengthen security activities ahead of Kim's release. According to the National Police Agency, they plan to enhance security around Kim's expected residence by operating a special response team, installing crime prevention facilities such as closed-circuit television (CCTV), establishing police posts and increasing patrols, and sharing real-time information and cooperating with the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to disclose Kim's photo and personal information, including his actual residence, on the day of his release. Kim's personal information can be checked through the internet site ‘Sex Offender Notification e’.
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