Kim Geun-sik Caught by Statute of Limitations, Facing Imprisonment Decision a Day Before Release

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Kim Geun-sik (54), who was found to have committed additional child sex crimes before his imprisonment in 2006, faces detention on the 16th, one day before his release.

According to the legal community, the Suwon District Court Anyang Branch will hold a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) for Kim Geun-sik at 3 p.m. that day. The decision on whether to detain Kim Geun-sik is likely to be made late in the afternoon, as he is one day away from his full-term release. If the arrest warrant is dismissed, he can leave the prison at 5 a.m. on the 17th. If the warrant is issued, his release will be blocked.

According to the prosecution, Kim Geun-sik is known to have been accused by one victim of sexual violence in 2006. The victim is reported to have been a minor 16 years ago. Under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, which came into effect in April 2010, the statute of limitations for Kim Geun-sik’s additional crimes is presumed not to have expired yet. The special law newly stipulates that the statute of limitations for sexual assault cases involving minors starts from the day the victim reaches adulthood. If the victim was under 13 years old at the time, the statute of limitations does not apply. Considering these points, the prosecution appears to have requested the arrest warrant, judging that the statute of limitations for Kim Geun-sik’s additional crimes has not yet been completed.

The legal community views the possibility of re-arrest as high. Above all, there is a high risk of flight because Kim Geun-sik does not have a fixed residence. If released as scheduled, Kim Geun-sik was expected to stay at the Korea Rehabilitation Welfare Corporation Gyeonggi Northern Branch. It seems he chose this place because he had no suitable residence to go to. Meanwhile, Uijeongbu City, where the Korea Rehabilitation Welfare Corporation Gyeonggi Northern Branch is located, strongly opposed Kim Geun-sik’s entry. Kim Dong-geun, mayor of Uijeongbu, issued an “emergency administrative order to block traffic on Ipseok-ro,” a road near the facility where Kim Geun-sik was scheduled to move in, and strongly responded by operating an on-site mayor’s office.

Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting 11 female students from elementary to high school in Incheon and the Gyeonggi area between May and September 2006. During his imprisonment, his sentence was extended by one year due to involvement in two assault incidents.

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