[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] As the release date of serial child sex offender Kim Geun-sik (54) on the 17th approaches, various sectors are on high alert.
Civil society is actively raising their voices. Civic groups and parents' associations such as the Citizens' Action for Freedom and Human Rights and the Seoul Education Love Parents' Union will hold an emergency press conference in front of the Seoul Government Complex from 2 p.m. on the 13th. These groups issued a statement earlier that day demanding, "We strongly urge thorough management and supervision of not only already released offenders like Jo Doo-soon and Lee Ki-hyung but also anonymous offenders hiding in blind spots to protect our children," and added, "We strongly request the Minister of Justice to temporarily suspend the release of Kim Geun-sik, who is scheduled to be released on the 17th."
The Ministry of Justice is also frequently inspecting and preparing to implement strong monitoring measures after Kim Geun-sik’s release. On the 11th, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon visited the Central Tracking Control Center located in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, to check the situation, and at an executive meeting held the day before, he urged, "Please thoroughly review the Ministry of Justice’s response status and the cooperation system with related agencies such as the police to ensure the public can feel secure."
However, the most important matter?the residence of Kim Geun-sik after his release?has not yet been decided as of this day. A Ministry of Justice official told this reporter in a phone interview in the morning, "The residence has not been finalized." There are reports that it will be decided on the 14th. Regarding this, the police are considering about four locations within Seoul as likely candidates, based on places where his siblings and family live and the last place he lived before imprisonment in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. At the National Assembly inspection the day before, Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated, "Once the residence is confirmed, a special task force will be formed at the relevant police station."
Kim Geun-sik is assessed to have a high risk of reoffending after release, and related agencies appear to be more vigilant than during the release of similar offenders in the past. According to the legal community, while serving time at Seoul Southern Prison, Kim Geun-sik completed 300 hours of intensive psychological treatment but was still evaluated as having a high risk of reoffending in various assessments. He did not receive pharmacological treatment to suppress sexual impulses, as he was able to refuse the legally mandated medication at the time. Research also shows that the more sex crime convictions an offender has, the higher the likelihood of cutting off electronic monitoring devices (electronic anklets) and reoffending, which has further heightened concerns about Kim Geun-sik’s release. Son Hyun-jong, a doctoral candidate at the Police University Graduate School, stated in a recent issue of the Journal of Police Policy Research in a paper titled "A Study on Recidivism Factors of Electronic Monitoring Subjects," that "Offenders with four or more sex crime convictions were 3.656 times more likely to reoffend compared to offenders without sex crime convictions."
Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon visited the Central Tracking Control Center located in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 11th and listened to an explanation about the electronic anklet displayed in the promotional experience center. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting 11 female students from elementary to high school in Incheon and the Gyeonggi area between May and September 2006. During his incarceration, his sentence was extended by one year due to involvement in two assault incidents. Upon Kim Geun-sik’s release, the Ministry of Justice plans to assign one probation officer for dedicated management and equip him with a 15-layer electronic anklet currently under development. The current high-risk electronic anklet strap material consists of 7 layers. The Ministry of Justice plans to increase this to 15 layers and make the exterior out of metal, with distribution scheduled for next year. This will be applied exceptionally and immediately only to Kim Geun-sik. His personal information will be disclosed for five years on the "Sex Offender Notification e" website, and a "No contact with females under 19" restriction will be enforced. The curfew hours have also been extended from the existing "10 p.m. to 6 a.m." to "10 p.m. to 9 a.m." considering the school hours of children and adolescents. Staff dedicated to monitoring CCTV will be assigned to track Kim Geun-sik’s movements in real time.
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