Serial rapist of 10 women 'Suwon Balbari' Park Byunghwa to be released today

Possibility of Admission to Korea Legal Protection Welfare Corporation Dormitory
Gyeonggi Province "Strongly Opposes Residence of Sex Offenders in the Province... Full Reform of Probation System"

On the 28th, Lee Jae-jun, Mayor of Suwon, along with Kim Seung-won (Suwon Gap), Baek Hye-ryun (Suwon Eul), Kim Young-jin (Suwon Byeong), and Park Kwang-on (Suwon Jeong) from the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the Ministry of Justice and delivered a "Petition Opposing the Residence of a Serial Rapist in Suwon" to the Director of the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Park Byeong-hwa (40), known as the so-called 'Suwon Balbari,' who serially sexually assaulted 10 women, is scheduled to be released on the 31st after serving his sentence, raising concerns among local residents.

According to the Ministry of Justice and others, Park Byeong-hwa is expected to be released after completing his sentence at Chungju Prison. He was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting eight women in their 20s in one-room apartment-dense areas such as Gwonseon-gu and Yeongtong-gu in Suwon City from December 2002 to October 2007, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the first trial on January 2008.

In the appeal trial in June of the same year, his sentence was reduced to 11 years, but during imprisonment, DNA analysis revealed two additional sexual assaults committed in 2002 and 2005, extending his sentence by four years.

After release, Park Byeong-hwa has been ordered to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for 23 years, is prohibited from going out at night, and must undergo medication treatment and consultations with a psychiatrist.

Although his residence after release has not been confirmed, considering that he previously lived in Suwon, it is highly likely that he will enter the dormitory of the Korea Rehabilitation Welfare Corporation under the Ministry of Justice in Suwon. In response, Suwon residents have strongly urged opposition to Park Byeong-hwa’s entry and residence in Suwon, and Gyeonggi Province also issued a statement on the 29th saying, "We strongly oppose the residence of sex offenders in Gyeonggi Province."

Gyeonggi Province stated, "There are legal limitations for Gyeonggi Province to respond to the issue of sex offenders entering rehabilitation protection facilities within the region after release," and "We formally request the Ministry of Justice to undertake a comprehensive reform of the current probation system, which inevitably causes citizens to live in fear every time a sex offender is released."

Earlier, on the 26th, Gyeonggi Province officially requested the Ministry of Justice to establish standards restricting released sex offenders from entering rehabilitation protection facilities adjacent to schools and child-related facilities. The police plan to form a special response team after Park Byeong-hwa’s release to manage public safety and establish a hotline with the probation office for joint response.

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