Jodusun "I Will Return to Ansan" Sparks Community Fear

Anxiety Grows Ahead of December Release Date

On the 14th, Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Kim Young-ho, Jung Chun-sook, and Cho Seung-rae urged the enactment of the so-called "Jo Doo-soon Recurrence Prevention Act," officially titled the "Special Act on Permanent Social Isolation of Sexual Offenders Against Children Under 13," at the National Assembly Communication Office. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Jo Doo-soon (68), a child sex offender, is reported to return to Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, his original residence, after his release in December this year, raising growing anxiety within the local community. Yoon Hwa-seop, mayor of Ansan, stated, "The results of Jo's psychological treatment indicate that his sexual deviance remains significant."

Mayor Yoon appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 15th and said, "In particular, he reportedly received an unstable evaluation in the pedophilia assessment, which measures sexual desire toward minors." He emphasized, "Many Ansan citizens have expressed great concern and protest regarding Jo Doo-soon. The mere fact that a criminal like Jo Doo-soon resides where the victim lives is a source of fear."

Mayor Yoon also urgently requested Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae the day before to enact the 'Protective Custody Act' related to sex offenders. The Protective Custody Act is a law that ensures child sex offenders and others remain isolated from society and are managed and supervised in protective custody facilities even after release. The Ministry of Justice announced the legislation on September 3, 2014, but it was never enacted. However, the 'Act on the Protection and Electronic Monitoring of Specific Criminal Offenders,' which requires offenders who committed sex crimes against minors and were ordered to wear electronic anklets to be monitored one-on-one by probation officers after release, has been in effect since last year.

In the political arena, a so-called 'Jo Doo-soon Monitoring Act' targeting Jo was also proposed. Ko Young-in, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Ansan Danwon Gap), announced the day before that he would propose a partial amendment to the 'Act on Electronic Monitoring, etc.' to prohibit electronic anklet wearers who sexually assaulted minors under 19 years old from leaving a 200-meter radius of their residential area.

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