"Is this really the same person?"
"I honestly wouldn't recognize him even if I met him in person."
"Please upload a photo taken at the police station, not a photoshopped one."
'Closet Taxi Driver's Corpse' Lee Gi-young's Identity Released but 'Photoshopped Driver's License Photo'
The 'Suspect Identity Disclosure System' is implemented to realize public interest by preventing similar crimes and reducing the risk of reoffending through the disclosure of the names and faces of heinous criminals. However, there is controversy over its effectiveness due to the large difference between the disclosed photos and the actual appearance.
The recent controversy started with Lee Gi-young (31), the suspect in the 'Closet Taxi Driver's Corpse' case. Lee is accused of murdering a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend, then disposing of their bodies in a closet and along the Gongneung Stream in Paju, respectively.
The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency held a suspect identity disclosure review committee on December 29 last year and decided to disclose Lee's age and face, distributing his driver's license photo.
However, immediately after the photo was released, many pointed out that it was difficult to infer his actual appearance.
An inspector A, who regularly visited Lee's residence, told Yonhap News, "I saw the disclosed photo, but it looked like a much younger version, so the impression and feeling were very different from reality."
If the subject refuses, recent photos cannot be disclosed
The police have released the personal information of Lee Gi-young (31), who was arrested on charges of consecutively murdering his cohabiting partner and a taxi driver. The police considered releasing a newly taken so-called 'mugshot' after arrest, taking into account criticisms that the difference between the suspect's past photo and actual appearance reduces the effectiveness of identity disclosure.
However, since Lee did not consent, the existing driver's license photo was disclosed. Under current law, recent photos cannot be forcibly disclosed if the subject refuses.
The problem is that the age at the time of the ID photo and the current age do not match, and in Korea, a lot of retouching is done when taking ID photos, so they may differ from the actual appearance.
Releasing photos that look completely different from the real person undermines the original purpose of identity disclosure, such as preventing reoffending.
This controversy is not new.
When Jeon Ju-hwan (31), who was arrested for murdering a station attendant he was stalking in the women's restroom at Sindang Station in Seoul, had his face disclosed last September, similar criticisms arose.
The ID photo released by the police was very different from the face photographed by reporters after he was transferred to the prosecution.
Police Human Rights Committee: "Identity disclosure should be minimized according to the presumption of innocence principle"
According to the current Special Act on the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, the face of a suspect of a specific violent crime, where the means of the crime are cruel and serious damage has occurred, can be disclosed if there is sufficient evidence to believe the suspect committed the crime.
The Identity Disclosure Review Committee consists of seven members, including one chairman (three police officers and four external members).
It applies in situations necessary for guaranteeing the public's right to know and preventing reoffending and crime, excluding cases where the suspect is a juvenile.
However, the Police Human Rights Committee recommends that identity disclosure should be operated minimally in accordance with the presumption of innocence principle.
Even in the United States, where 'mugshots' are actively disclosed, there are ongoing criticisms of racial discrimination and human rights violations.
Over 28,000 Heinous Crimes in the Last 5 Years... Only 28 Identity Disclosures
Meanwhile, over the past five years, there have been more than 28,000 heinous crimes such as murder, human trafficking, rape, and sexual assault, but the identity of suspects was disclosed in only 28 cases.
According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Lee Hae-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from 2018 to August 2022, a total of 28,822 specific violent crimes including murder, human trafficking, rape, and sexual assault occurred.
According to the National Police Agency data, the Identity Disclosure Committee held 49 meetings during this period to decide on the disclosure of heinous crime suspects' identities. This accounts for only 0.17% of all heinous crimes during the same period.
There are also criticisms that the Identity Disclosure Committee's criteria for disclosure are arbitrary. According to the data, the committee held 49 meetings over the past five years, deciding to 'disclose' in 28 cases and 'not disclose' in 21 cases.
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