Electronic Devices Frequently Mentioned in Court Records... Number of Murderers Wearing 'Baljji' Doubled Over 10 Years

Murderers Wearing Electronic Anklets: 398 in 2011 → 900 in 2021
Kidnappers: 2 → 20... Robbery Offenders Also Rising to 283

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] On the 7th, the trial date for Mr. Park, a man in his 40s indicted for trespassing and murder, was held at the Seoul Southern District Court. Park, who is accused of breaking into a neighbor's apartment in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and killing a resident, admitted to all charges in the previous first trial. Accordingly, it was expected that the prosecution would make a sentencing recommendation that day, but the court decided to continue the trial. This was because the prosecution requested an electronic monitoring device order for Park. The court judged that additional hearings were necessary, including hearing the defense's opinion regarding the electronic monitoring device order.

The trial of Mr. Choi, a Chinese national indicted for assaulting elderly passersby while under the influence of drugs in a park in Guro-gu, Seoul, resulting in one death, is similar. The prosecution requested an electronic monitoring device order for Choi, and additional hearings on this matter were scheduled.

The use of location-tracking electronic devices, commonly known as electronic anklets, once considered exclusive to sex offenders, has expanded to include violent criminals such as murderers and robbers, with the number of subjects increasing annually.

According to the Statistics Korea's "Status of Location Tracking for Specific Criminals" on the 13th, the number of murder offenders wearing electronic anklets increased approximately 2.26 times from 398 in 2011 to 900 in 2021.

Previously, electronic anklet orders were only issued for sex offenders with high social risk, but since 2010, the scope has expanded to include murder offenders, from 2011 to kidnappers, and from June 2014 to habitual robbers.

For kidnappers, the number of electronic anklet wearers increased tenfold from just 2 in 2011 to 20 in 2021, and for robbers, the number rose 56.3% from 181 in 2014, when monitoring began, to 283 in 2021.

Moreover, starting with the Liberation Day special pardon in August 2020, not only the four major crimes but also prisoners incarcerated for general crimes are required to wear electronic anklets until their scheduled full release date upon parole, pushing the total number of monitored criminals well over 10,000. Among general offenders, those wearing electronic anklets increased significantly from 1,797 in 2020 to 6,345 in 2021, accounting for 58.6% of the total 10,827 monitored individuals.

Recently, as the Ministry of Justice announced legislation to attach electronic anklets to criminals sentenced to imprisonment for stalking offenses, the number of monitored individuals is expected to rise further. According to the amendment, if a criminal sentenced to imprisonment for stalking is deemed to have a risk of reoffending, an electronic anklet can be attached. Those sentenced to imprisonment for stalking must wear the anklet for up to 10 years, and those given suspended sentences must wear it for up to 5 years.

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