Ansan Mayor: "3,600 Calls Received from People Saying They Will Leave Ansan Due to Jo Doo-sun's Release"

The face of Jo Doo-soon revealed by SBS's Unanswered Questions. Photo by SBS Unanswered Questions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Yoon Hwa-seop, mayor of Ansan City, revealed on the 15th that regarding child sex offender Jo Doo-soon (68) announcing his intention to return to Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where the crime occurred, ahead of his release at the end of this year, "If Jo Doo-soon comes, I will leave Ansan. We have received 3,600 calls expressing concerns like 'How can we live feeling so unsafe?'"

Jo Doo-soon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 8-year-old elementary school student in August 2008, and is scheduled for full release on December 13.

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day, Mayor Yoon said, "On social networking services (SNS), there were about 1,200 posts asking 'Does he really have to come to Ansan?'"

He added, "On the Facebook page called 'Ansan News,' there are about 3,800 posts, showing that many citizens are anxious and demanding countermeasures. When calls come in, the civil complaint call center receives many questions such as where Jo Doo-soon's house is and where the security closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras are installed."

Regarding the Ministry of Justice's announcement to assign a one-on-one probation officer to Jo Doo-soon, he expressed a negative stance, saying, "What victims and citizens worry about is whether this will prevent Jo Doo-soon from committing another crime. The fact that Jo Doo-soon lives where the victim resides itself is terrifying."

He continued, "Although electronic anklets are said to reduce the recidivism rate of sexual offenses, there were 55 cases last year and about 30 cases in the first half of this year where sexual offenses were committed while wearing electronic anklets. The demand for strong measures such as protective custody is more important to alleviate the anxiety and harm felt not only by the current victims and their families but also by citizens."

Mayor Yoon revealed that on the 14th, he sent a letter to Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae urging the enactment of the 'Protective Custody Act' to fundamentally prevent concerns about Jo Doo-soon. The 'Protective Custody Act' aims to prevent immediate release after serving a sentence for individuals who have committed sexual offenses three or more times, murder twice or more, or sexual crimes against children causing serious injury, by detaining and protecting them for a certain period.

Mayor Yoon explained the necessity of the legislation, saying, "People who have committed sexual crimes against children causing serious injury and are highly dangerous should be detained for a certain period after their sentence ends. By strictly enforcing the conditions and execution procedures and providing socially friendly treatment, it aims to promote their healthy reintegration into society while protecting law-abiding citizens."

He added, "At the very least, the Protective Custody Act should be enacted by November. Otherwise, it cannot be applied. I hope the ruling and opposition parties unite to pass it as soon as possible," urging prompt legislation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.