Jodusun Gives Up Moving After Paying 1 Million Won Penalty

Local Residents Strongly Demand "Sexual Offender Leave Ansan"
Lease Contract Expires on 28th... Difficult to Reside in Ansan Due to Personal Information Sharing

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon, who was released after serving his sentence, is entering the Ansan Probation Center of the Ministry of Justice in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of December 12, 2020. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Jo Doo-soon, a sex offender whose lease contract is set to expire on the 28th, has reportedly given up on moving from his current residence in Wadong, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province, to Seonbu-dong. Residents of Seonbu-dong and local women's organizations have strongly opposed his move.

According to Ansan City on the 24th, Jo Doo-soon's wife received a deposit of 10 million won and a penalty fee of 1 million won from the landlord of a multi-family house in Seonbu-dong, where they were scheduled to move, and canceled the lease contract. Jo Doo-soon is expected to put his moving plans on hold for the time being and remain in his current residence in Wadong.

Previously, on the 17th, Jo Doo-soon signed a two-year lease contract with the owner of a multi-family house in Seonbu-dong. Jo Doo-soon's wife deceived the landlord by claiming her husband was a company employee and paid the 10 million won deposit in a lump sum. The landlord, who later discovered that the new tenant was Jo Doo-soon, demanded the termination of the lease contract. Jo Doo-soon's side reportedly demanded an additional penalty of 10 million won on top of the 10 million won deposit due to the unilateral contract cancellation, but the matter was ultimately settled with a payment of 1 million won.

When Jo Doo-soon's moving plans became known, Seonbu-dong residents and local women's groups strongly protested. They held a press conference in front of the city hall that morning, demanding, "Jo Doo-soon must leave Ansan City."

Although Jo Doo-soon has withdrawn his plan to move to Seonbu-dong, there remains a possibility that he will relocate to another area. Earlier this month, he signed lease contracts in Wongok-dong and Gojan-dong, but the contracts were canceled after his identity was revealed. Since Jo Doo-soon's wife's personal information has been shared with real estate agencies in Ansan City, it is difficult for them to secure lease contracts within the area. Consequently, there are predictions that Jo Doo-soon may leave Ansan City and move to another region.

Jo Doo-soon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and seriously injuring an elementary school student in front of a church in Ansan in December 2008. He was released on December 12, 2020, after serving his sentence.