Tenant a 'Suwonbalbari'? ... Debate over residence of released sex offender

Serial rapist Park Byunghwa to live in a Hwaseong-si one-room apartment contracted by his biological mother after release
“High recidivism rate requires isolation” vs “Double punishment, sentence should have been increased initially”

On the afternoon of the 16th, citizens of Uijeongbu held a large-scale rally in the square in front of Uijeongbu City Hall, Gyeonggi-do, demanding the withdrawal of the admission of child sex offender Kim Geun-sik to the Uijeongbu rehabilitation facility. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy, Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] Residents in the affected areas are expressing anxiety over the repeated releases of sex offenders. On the 31st, the alley in front of a one-room apartment in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, where serial rapist Park Byeonghwa (39), known as the 'Suwon Balbari,' has taken residence, was crowded with gathered citizens and police controlling the situation.

This area is a one-room apartment complex located just about 100 meters from the back gate of a university. Along the alley, there are clusters of 3-4 story one-room buildings mainly occupied by students and workers employed at nearby industrial complexes. There is also an elementary school about 500 meters away.

The family of the landlord of the one-room building where Park Byeonghwa moved in expressed outrage, saying, "We only found out this morning through the village chief that Park Byeonghwa had moved in." They added, "Our grandmother, who is in her 80s, manages the one-room apartments, and on the 28th, a woman came with a real estate agent from Suwon, signed a monthly lease contract, and left." They continued, "It turned out that the woman was Park Byeonghwa's mother, but she never mentioned that Park Byeonghwa would be coming here." They further stated, "If we had known Park Byeonghwa was coming, we would never have rented the room out. We are currently discussing forced eviction measures with Hwaseong City."

Local residents are also feeling uneasy. A resident living in a nearby one-room apartment said, "Hwaseong City is a place traumatized by past serial murders by Lee Chun-jae and various sex crimes," and urged, "Please take any possible measures to ensure that residents do not have to feel anxious again."

Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun and Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon Chilseung also visited the residential area and held a street protest demanding Park Byeonghwa's eviction. Mayor Jeong said, "Securing a room without informing about Park Byeonghwa's residence appears to be an illegal contract tantamount to fraud," and added, "We are consulting with the one-room apartment officials to cancel the contract and are conducting legal reviews to enable forced eviction."

Conflicts surrounding the release of sex offenders are not new. In Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, there was fierce opposition ahead of the release of Kim Geunsik, who served 15 years for sexually assaulting 11 minors. Uijeongbu City was designated as the place for Kim to stay for social adaptation after his full-term release. Public opinion in Uijeongbu was heated. Mayor Kim Donggeun strongly opposed, stating, "We will use all administrative means to prevent the transfer of this heinous sex offender to Uijeongbu." The situation was only resolved when Kim was re-arrested on another criminal charge a day before his release.

Sex offender Jo Doosoon, who was released at the end of 2020, also faced strong opposition from the local community before settling. At that time, many citizens gathered around his home in Ansan City, demanding that he be relocated to another area.

As a result, there have been continuous calls to enact laws restricting the residences of sex offenders. Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Youngin proposed a bill to prohibit child sex offenders from residing within 200 meters of their own homes, and fellow party member Jeong Chunsook proposed a bill preventing offenders from entering within a 1 km radius of the victim's home. However, due to concerns over infringement of basic rights, these bills have not been properly discussed.

According to the political data platform OxoPolitics, in response to the question "Should the residences of sex offenders be restricted?" 43% answered that residence should be restricted, while 38% opposed restrictions.

Analysis of the responses shows that supporters believe that rights should not be granted to those who trample on others' human rights and basic rights. They also argue that isolation is essential given the high recidivism rate of such crimes.

Opponents argue that rather than creating legally controversial double standards, sentences should be significantly increased from the outset. They point out that restricting residence infringes on constitutional freedom of movement and that imposing additional punishment on those who have already served their sentences could be considered double punishment, which is controversial.