"Serial Sex Offender Kim Geun-sik Likely to Commit Crimes Using Same Methods After Release"…Growing Anxiety

Kim Geun-sik (54), a serial sexual offender against minors, is scheduled to be released next month.
[Photo by Incheon Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] As the release of serial minor sex offender Kim Geun-sik (54) approaches, residents' anxiety is growing, and some voices are expressing concerns about the possibility of recidivism.

Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being tried for sexually assaulting 11 minors consecutively from May to September 2006 in the Incheon and Gyeonggi areas, and he is scheduled to be released next month. Previously, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for rape causing injury in 2000 and was serving his sentence in prison before being released on May 8, 2006. It was investigated that he committed the crimes 16 days after his release. Originally, he was scheduled to be released last year, but his sentence was extended after being indicted twice in 2013 and 2014 for assaulting fellow inmates.

News of Kim Geun-sik's release has heightened anxiety, especially in the areas where the crimes occurred. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the high possibility of his reoffending.

Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University said on June 2 on YTN's 'News Rider,' "There is a high possibility that Kim will commit crimes using the same method after his release." She explained that Kim committed crimes about two weeks after his previous release and had a long criminal record before that.

Professor Lee said, "It has been proven that he was highly maladjusted to society, so the period after his release is very worrisome." She added, "It has been proven through his past record that he could not control his impulses, but under current law, can judicial authorities restrain his actions after release? That seems very difficult. I am worried that such incidents might happen again."

She also mentioned the need for institutional improvements after Kim's release. Professor Lee explained, "Currently, there is no way to apply measures retroactively to him. Due to the principle of ne bis in idem, it is difficult to impose additional sanctions on someone who is released after serving their full sentence." Ne bis in idem is the principle that a case that has been judged cannot be tried or retried more than once. She emphasized, "The only way seems to be to quickly identify and strictly punish minor crimes."

Professor Lee Su-jeong, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University [Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding the reason Kim Geun-sik committed crimes against minors, she analyzed, "It is known that in his younger years, he did have relationships with women of his age group, but after a certain point, considering that he persistently targeted only young children, it seems highly likely that there is a sexual functional problem."

She continued, "He has sexual functional problems and exhibits paraphilic, pedophilic tendencies, and the victims' age group is fixed within a certain range. Looking at the victims' ages, he repeatedly sexually assaulted early teenagers, so there is a possibility that he might commit such acts against elementary school children as well." She added, "He is being released without any confirmation that his sexually deviant tendencies have been completely extinguished."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice plans to implement electronic monitoring through the probation office affiliated with the Ministry from the day of Kim Geun-sik's release. A dedicated probation officer will be assigned to monitor Kim 24 hours a day, and tailored compliance measures or psychological treatment to improve criminal tendencies will be actively conducted as needed to prevent recidivism. On the release date, Kim Geun-sik's photo and personal information, including his actual residence, will be disclosed on the internet site 'Sex Offender Notification e.'

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