Sentenced to 5 Years for Sexual Assault of Elementary Student 7 Years Ago
Randomly Selected for Local Government Youth Rental Housing Move-in
A former female elementary school teacher who was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting an elementary school student 7 years ago and was released after serving her sentence has recently been revealed to have moved into a youth rental housing, sparking controversy.
On the 19th, JTBC reported that Ms. A, a former female teacher who sexually assaulted a 6th-grade elementary school student in the past, recently moved into youth rental housing prepared by the Gyeongnam Development Corporation for low-income youth without homes, causing local residents to protest. The housing, prepared with an investment of 3.5 billion KRW by the local government, has a deposit of around 10 million KRW and a monthly rent of about 100,000 KRW, fully equipped with built-in home appliances and furniture.
Ms. A, who moved into the housing, was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2017 for the sexual assault case and was released 2 years ago after serving her sentence. Upon learning of Ms. A’s move-in, young people who had hoped to move in but were rejected have expressed opposition. They argue that allowing a sex offender to move into youth rental housing contradicts the purpose of the project, which is to support low-income youth.
In response, the Gyeongnam Development Corporation stated, "There is no legal basis to restrict the place of residence itself," and explained, "(Ms. A) met the selection criteria such as age and income, and was chosen through a random lottery." They added, "We cannot know the criminal record of the tenant, nor are there regulations to exclude them."
Local residents have also expressed discomfort with Ms. A’s move-in. On the 17th, they learned about Ms. A’s identity and her move-in to the youth rental housing through the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s Sex Offender Notification e-Service. Since then, the Gyeongnam Development Corporation has reportedly received a series of complaints related to Ms. A. What makes the situation more problematic is that an elementary school and a middle school are located about 500 meters, or a 5-minute walk, from this rental housing, where students frequently pass by. Because of this, parents and nearby residents have expressed concerns about a sex offender living nearby, saying, "The children’s routes overlap."
This is not the first time a sex offender has moved into rental housing. There is no separate procedure to screen out individuals with criminal records during the selection process for public rental housing tenants. Previously, in 2021, a sex offender who had just been released from prison moved into an LH rental housing, causing controversy. Also, earlier this month, it was revealed that a sex offender moved into a youth safety housing in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, which also sparked residents’ opposition.
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