Minor Abduction and Enticement Crimes: 104 Cases in 2015 → 192 Cases in 2021
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Kim Geun-sik (54), who is serving a sentence for sexually assaulting 11 minors, is scheduled to be released on the 17th, amid a series of crimes nationwide attempting to lure minors.
The Incheon Western Police Station has booked a man in his 60s, Mr. A, on charges of attempted abduction and enticement of a minor for trying to lure an elementary school student on their way home from school. Mr. A is accused of attempting to lure an elementary school student near an elementary school in Seo-gu, Incheon, around 1:30 p.m. on the 29th of last month. Investigations revealed that Mr. A recently approached four elementary school students.
In Seoul, the prosecution has requested a two-year prison sentence for a man in his 70s who repeatedly attempted to lure elementary school students. Mr. B was indicted for approaching an 11-year-old elementary school student, Ms. C, in an apartment complex in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, and enticing her by saying, "I have a lot of money. Let's play together." Although the crime was attempted and not completed, Mr. B did not give up and tried to lure other elementary school students nearby using the same method. It is also reported that he attempted the crime again on the 26th, the day after being questioned by the police, targeting the same students.
According to the National Police Agency on the 7th, there were a total of 1,370 cases of abduction and enticement of minors over the past 10 years (2012?2021). This averages to one case every three days. In particular, the number of abduction and enticement cases involving minors increased from 104 cases in 2015 to 135 cases in 2018, reaching a record high of 192 cases last year.
Article 287 of the Criminal Act defines the crime of abduction and enticement of minors as using violence, threats, or illegal de facto force to remove the victim against their will from their free living and protective relationships and move them under the actual control of oneself or a third party.
Despite the high potential for leading to serious crimes such as drug offenses, sexual assault, prostitution, and murder, the statutory penalty remains limited to imprisonment of up to 10 years. There are criticisms that the punishment level is low compared to the severity of the crime, and the judiciary’s judgments on abduction and enticement offenders are also controversial.
On the 7th of last month, a man in his 40s was caught by the police while attempting to kidnap a middle school student living in the same apartment complex in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, by threatening with a weapon. After a second warrant application, he was finally detained. The court initially dismissed the detention warrant, judging there was no risk of reoffending or flight, which sparked backlash from victims and civic groups.
Meanwhile, Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison for consecutively sexually assaulting 11 minor female students in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon from May to August 2006. At the time of the crimes, Kim Geun-sik already had 19 prior convictions, including rape causing injury.
Kim Geun-sik, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2000 for sexually assaulting a minor, was released in 2006 but committed the crimes again just 16 days after his release. Scheduled for release in September last year, Kim Geun-sik’s sentence was extended due to two assaults on fellow inmates while incarcerated.
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