Mayor Lee Jae-jun Delivers Petition Opposing Residence of Serial Rapist in Suwon to Ministry of Justice

Lee Jae-jun, Mayor of Suwon (center), is entering the Ministry of Justice on the afternoon of the 28th with local members of the National Assembly to deliver a petition opposing the residence of Park Byung-hwa in Suwon, who is scheduled to be released on the 31st.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun delivered a "Request to Oppose Residence of Serial Rapist in Suwon" to the Ministry of Justice on the 28th, ahead of the release of serial rapist Park Byung-hwa.

On the afternoon of the same day, Mayor Lee Jae-jun visited the Ministry of Justice with lawmakers Park Kwang-on (Suwon City Administration), Baek Hye-ryun (Suwon-si Eul), Kim Young-jin (Suwon-si Byeong), and Kim Seung-won (Suwon-si Gap) to submit the request letter, stating, "We will refuse the entry of the serial rapist into Suwon City for the safety of citizens."

At the meeting, the mayor and the lawmakers urged, "Please inform us of the release date and residence after release of the serial rapist as it is necessary to protect citizens' safety," and called for the enactment of the "Protective Custody Act" to prevent recidivism of heinous criminals.

They added, "Suwon citizens are extremely anxious ahead of the release of the serial rapist," emphasizing, "Without any recidivism prevention measures, the serial rapist must not enter the residential community."

They also pointed out, "Currently, the 'Review Committee on Probation Office Affairs,' which decides where the released offender will reside, does not allow local governments to participate in any way," criticizing, "This goes against the local autonomy system and disregards citizens."

Furthermore, they stated, "The reason why the public is terrified by the release of heinous criminals is because they do not trust the system," adding, "If thorough post-release management is carried out and a system that prevents recidivism exists, someone's release would not even become news."

Park Byung-hwa was arrested on charges of breaking into villas in Gwonseon-gu and Yeongtong-gu, Suwon City, and raping ten women in their 20s from December 2002 to October 2007. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and is currently serving his sentence at Chungju Prison.

Meanwhile, the Suwon City Residents' Autonomy Committee will hold a Suwon citizens' condemnation rally at 3 p.m. on the 30th at Olympic Park (opposite Suwon City Hall) in response to the scheduled release of the serial rapist. The rally will be attended by members of residents' organizations such as the Residents' Autonomy Committee and the Neighborhood Leaders' Council, citizens, Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun, lawmakers, and city and provincial council members.

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