You Can No Longer Find Out Where Jo Doo-soon Lives... 'Personal Information Disclosure' Expires

Information Made Private on "Sex Offender Notification e"
Repeated Violations During Probation, Including Unauthorized Absences
Prosecutors: "Involuntary Treatment and Custody Needed"

The disclosure period for the personal information of child sex offender Jo Doo-soon (age 73) has expired, making it impossible to verify his residence through the 'Sex Offender Notification e' system. Public anxiety is rising, as he has faced multiple trials for unauthorized absences since his release, and recent reports indicate that his symptoms of delirium have worsened.

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon. Yonhap News Agency

According to the legal community on December 15, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family removed Jo Doo-soon's information from public view on the 'Sex Offender Notification e' website as of December 12. This is because the five-year disclosure order issued by the court upon his release in December 2020 has expired. However, while the information is no longer accessible to the general public, his registration and management as a sex offender will continue.

The 'Sex Offender Notification e' system was introduced in 2008 under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, aiming to prevent recidivism by publicly disclosing the faces and residences of high-risk sex offenders. After a simple identity verification process, anyone can view photos, registered and actual addresses, age, height, electronic monitoring status, prior sexual offense convictions, and the nature of the crimes for offenders whose information has been disclosed by court order.

Jo Doo-soon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting an elementary school student and was released in December 2020. The court ordered a five-year disclosure of his personal information, citing the brutality of his crime and his psychopathic tendencies as reasons for concern about recidivism. At the time, the National Assembly passed the so-called 'Jo Doo-soon Prevention Law,' which required disclosure of his address down to the street name and building number, in consideration of the seriousness of the case.

The court also imposed special restrictions, prohibiting him from going out at night or during school commuting hours, banning alcohol consumption, and forbidding access to educational facilities and contact with the victim. Afterward, while living in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, he was subject to 24-hour monitoring, probation, and electronic location tracking.

The problem is that Jo Doo-soon has repeatedly violated these controls since his release. He has been tried twice for leaving his residence without authorization, and in December 2023, he was sentenced to three months in prison for violating his nighttime curfew.

Furthermore, between March and June of this year, he was found wandering outside his home on four separate occasions and was returned home by a probation officer stationed nearby. In October, he was caught attempting to disable his home monitoring device by unplugging it, apparently to restrict contact from Ministry of Justice probation officers. On October 10, he was additionally indicted for unauthorized absence from his residence and is currently on trial for this offense.

During a hearing last month, prosecutors stated that Jo Doo-soon appears to be suffering from a mental illness and may require medication, requesting the court to order involuntary treatment and custody. The National Forensic Hospital also conducted a psychiatric evaluation and reportedly recommended compulsory treatment and custody for him.