Police Oversight Measures Also 'Locked' for at Least 5 Years Amid Kim Geun-sik's Re-arrest

Serial sexual offender of minors Kim Geun-sik / Provided by Incheon Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Child sex offender Kim Geun-sik was re-arrested a day before his release, rendering the police's supervision measures prepared for his release useless.

A National Police Agency official stated on the 17th, "Kim Geun-sik will undergo prosecution investigation while in custody, so supervision after release is no longer necessary." Kim was originally scheduled to be released from Anyang Prison on the morning of the same day and then reside at a rehabilitation facility under the Ministry of Justice located in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. Earlier, on the 14th, the police announced supervision measures in preparation for Kim’s release, including increasing the number of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) around the planned residence and installing security posts. The Uijeongbu Police Station designated five members of the Women and Youth Violent Crimes Team as a special response team and planned to strengthen patrols around the residence using personnel from nearby police substations.

However, Kim Geun-sik was re-arrested on the 16th for another sex crime committed 16 years ago and is now held at Anyang Prison. Judge Song Joong-ho of the Suwon District Court Anyang Branch issued an arrest warrant on charges of forcible molestation of a minor under 13 years old under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, as requested by the prosecution. The prosecution reportedly stated in the warrant that Kim forcibly molested victim A, who was under 13 years old at the time in 2006. Victim A learned about Kim’s past serial sex crimes through the media and reported to the Gyeyang Police Station in Incheon in December 2020 that Kim had forcibly molested them in the past. The police are said to have handed the case over to the prosecution in July last year after investigation.

The prosecution plans to conduct supplementary investigations on the detained Kim and bring him to trial as early as the end of this month or by early next month at the latest. Under current law, once an arrest warrant is issued, detention can last up to six months before the first trial verdict is delivered. If a prison sentence is handed down in the first trial, the detention period is extended by the length of the sentence. The Sexual Violence Punishment Act stipulates that forcible molestation of a minor under 13 years old is punishable by imprisonment with labor for five years or more. From the police perspective, assuming the prosecution proves Kim’s guilt in court, the supervision measures prepared for his release this time are expected to be revisited at least five years later.

Previously, Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting 11 minors in Incheon and the Gyeonggi area from May to September 2006. During his incarceration, his sentence was extended by one year due to involvement in two assault incidents, and he was originally scheduled to be released on this day. Uijeongbu City, where the Gyeonggi Northern Branch of the Korea Rehabilitation Welfare Corporation is located, strongly opposed Kim’s entry, vowing to block it altogether. Kim Dong-geun, mayor of Uijeongbu, even issued an emergency administrative order to close the roads used for Kim’s transfer. However, with Kim’s re-arrest, the controversies that arose in Uijeongbu and other local communities have naturally been resolved.

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