Holding a Tangerine with Hands Behind His Back... Is Jo Doo-soon Really Reflecting? [Han Seung-gon's Incident Notebook]

Child Sex Offender Jo Doo-soon Released After 12 Years
Holding Tangerine in Hand and Keeping Hands Behind Back During Release
Did Not Unfold Hands Behind Back Even When Bowing to Citizens
Victim's Family: "He Must Kneel and Sincerely Apologize"
Expert: "Jo Doo-soon's Irrational Behavior Cannot Be Seen as an Apology"

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon, who was released after serving his sentence, is seen leaving the Ansan Probation Center of the Ministry of Justice in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Public criticism continues over child sex offender Jo Doo-soon’s posture of clasping his hands behind his back and bowing his head on the day of his release. Holding a tangerine in his hand and bowing without unclasping his hands has been criticized not only as a lack of apology but also as a mockery directed at the public.

The victim’s family pointed out that it was merely a formal apology. Experts also analyzed Jo Doo-soon’s behavior as irrational.

At around 6:46 a.m. on the 12th, Jo Doo-soon, who served a 12-year prison sentence at Nambu Prison in Guro-gu, Seoul, for charges including child sexual assault, was released after completing his term. To prevent safety accidents, he was transported in a courtesy vehicle.

He then arrived at the Ansan Probation Center in Gyeonggi Province (hereafter the Center) at around 7:46 a.m., where he underwent electronic device registration and personal information registration procedures for about an hour.

During this process, Jo Doo-soon got out of the vehicle holding a tangerine in one hand. He also bowed his head twice at a 90-degree angle before boarding the vehicle after leaving the Center. However, criticism arose over whether bowing with his hands clasped behind his back was a genuine act of remorse.

Having brutally sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl on her way to school and served time for the crime, his return to society and the act of eating tangerines?a winter fruit?before offering any apology or remorse has been seen not only as a lack of repentance for his crime but also as an act of mocking the anger of the citizens watching him.

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon, who was released after serving his sentence, is seen bowing his head in greeting as he exits the Ministry of Justice Ansan Probation Center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province on the morning of the 12th. However, since he still has his hands clasped behind his back, critics argue that this is not a proper greeting and suggests a lack of remorse.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

There is also strong public opinion that his refusal to unclasp his hands behind his back toward the outraged citizens signals a complete unwillingness to properly reflect on his actions.

Citizens unanimously criticized Jo Doo-soon’s posture that day. Lee, a university student in his 20s who said he watched the entire release process on TV news, stated, “Jo Doo-soon does not appear to be remorseful.” He added, “Carrying a tangerine and clasping his hands behind his back?what kind of attitude is that for someone who is supposed to be remorseful? It’s really regrettable that he wasn’t sentenced to death.”

Kim, a company employee in his 40s, said, “Jo Doo-soon’s behavior was confident, even glaring at the cameras,” and criticized, “There was no sign of remorse at all.” He continued, “The police are closely monitoring him 24 hours a day, but based on these behaviors, it’s hard not to think he might commit another crime.”

Another office worker in his 30s, Park, emphasized, “Anyone could see that he was basically saying, ‘I have no intention to repent’ and was mocking people.” He added, “If he truly intended to repent, even if the sincerity is uncertain, shouldn’t he have knelt down?”

Child sex offender Jo Doo-soon, who was released after serving his sentence, is entering the Ansan Probation Center of the Ministry of Justice in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The victim’s family shares the same critical view as the public. In an interview with a broadcasting station, the family pointed out that Jo Doo-soon’s behavior that day was merely a formal apology.

In a phone interview with YTN, the victim’s family said, “We could not feel any sincerity from Jo Doo-soon’s apology while he had his hands clasped behind his back,” and criticized, “If he committed such a heinous crime, he should kneel down and sincerely repent.”

Experts analyzed that Jo Doo-soon’s behavior cannot be seen as an apology at all. Oh Yoon-sung, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, explained, “There was a notable scene when Jo Doo-soon was released. First, he came out holding a tangerine. Then, he greeted as a sign of apology but did not unclasp his hands behind his back.”

He added, “We can pay attention to the direction of Jo Doo-soon’s hands. Usually, when a subordinate apologizes to a superior, they bring their hands forward, but Jo Doo-soon did the exact opposite.” He emphasized, “From this behavior, it is somewhat unreasonable to say that he is apologizing in a common-sense way.”

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