"Decision Made in Consideration of the Seriousness of the Crime and the Public Interest"
The police have released the identity of Cha Cheolnam, a 56-year-old Chinese-Korean, who has been arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder for killing two people and injuring two others using blunt and bladed weapons.
On May 22, the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency held a Personal Information Disclosure Review Committee attended by a total of seven members: four external experts from the legal, academic, and medical fields, and three police officers at the superintendent level. The committee decided to disclose Cha Cheolnam's personal information, including his face, name, and age. The committee stated that the decision was made "in consideration of the seriousness of the crime and the public interest."
The Act on Disclosure of Personal Information of Suspects of Certain Serious Crimes (Serious Crime Personal Information Disclosure Act) stipulates that personal information may be disclosed if: ▲ the means of the crime are brutal and have caused significant harm; ▲ there is sufficient evidence to believe that the suspect committed the crime; ▲ disclosure is necessary for the public interest, such as guaranteeing the public's right to know, preventing reoffending by the suspect, and preventing crime.
In Cha Cheolnam's case, his name, date of birth, nationality, and photograph had already become public knowledge on the day of the incident due to a wanted notice. However, with this latest decision, three so-called "mugshot" photographs?front, right, and left profiles?taken after his arrest have now been newly released.
While the indiscriminate distribution of wanted posters is restricted after the suspect is apprehended, the law requires that the latest facial photographs and related information, taken within 30 days, be posted on the police website for 30 days in the case of personal information disclosure under the law.
Previously, on May 17, Cha Cheolnam was accused of killing two brothers in their 50s, both Chinese-Korean, with a blunt weapon at his residence in Jeongwang-dong, Siheung, and at the victims' residence. On May 19, he is also accused of stabbing and injuring a female convenience store owner in her 60s near his home in the morning, and a male building owner in his 70s at a sports park in the afternoon, both with a bladed weapon.
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