Ministry of Justice: "Isolation of Jo Doo-sun After Release Not Possible"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice announced on the 15th that it is "virtually impossible" to isolate Jo Doo-soon in a protective custody facility upon his release in December. Earlier, Ansan Mayor Yoon Hwa-seop sent a letter to Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae the day before, urgently requesting the enactment of the 'Protective Custody Act' related to sex offenders.

However, the Ministry of Justice stated, "The existing Protective Custody Act bill submitted to the National Assembly does not have retroactive provisions," and "Even based on that bill, it cannot be applied retroactively to people like Jo Doo-soon who committed crimes in the past." It added, "The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court have consistently ruled that even security measures, which effectively deprive physical freedom, should apply the law in effect at the time of the act according to the 'principle of non-retroactivity of punishment.'"

According to the Ministry of Justice, the 'Protective Custody Act,' which mandates that child sex offenders be isolated from society for a certain period after release and be managed and supervised in protective custody facilities, was first submitted as a government bill on April 9, 2015, during the 19th National Assembly but was discarded due to controversy over human rights violations and the expiration of the legislative term. The Judiciary Committee's review report at the time stated, "In order to decide whether to introduce the system, in-depth discussions on pros and cons must precede, and it should also be considered that significant resources are required for the installation and management of protective custody facilities."

Earlier, Mayor Yoon stated in his letter, "Although Jo Doo-soon's release is imminent, the current law's coercive power over Jo Doo-soon's personal safety is significantly insufficient, causing concern and anxiety among the victims, their families, and 740,000 Ansan citizens." He also emphasized, "There is no practical way to control him other than enacting a law to introduce the protective custody system before Jo Doo-soon's release," and "We urgently request the prompt enactment of the law to prevent the recurrence of harm experienced by the good citizens, Ansan residents, victims, and their families."

Meanwhile, the Ansan Probation Office plans to apply meticulous programs to reduce the possibility of recidivism after Jo Doo-soon's release. These include one-on-one electronic monitoring, additional special compliance measures such as alcohol restrictions, and cooperation with the police and local governments.

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