9 out of 10 Koreans Say "Expand Personal Information Disclosure of Violent Criminals"

The majority of the public believes that the disclosure of personal information of violent criminals should be expanded to protect victims and prevent the recurrence of crimes.

Jeong Seung-yoon, Secretary General of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, is holding a briefing on the expansion of personal information disclosure of violent criminals at the Government Complex Sejong around 10:30 a.m. on the 19th.
[Image source=Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission]

On the 19th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced the results of a survey conducted from the 26th of last month to the 9th of this month, targeting 7,474 citizens, which showed that 96.3% responded that "the expansion of personal information disclosure of violent criminals is necessary."

Respondents cited "to protect victims and prevent the recurrence of crimes" (41.8%) as the most common reason for the need to expand disclosure. This was followed by "to satisfy the public's right to know and to prevent similar crimes" (28.9%), "because the current disclosure system is ineffective" (17.9%), and "because the current scope and range of disclosure are too narrow" (10.8%).

Regarding the disclosure of recent photos of violent criminals, such as mugshots, 95.5% of respondents answered that "recent photos should be disclosed regardless of the criminal's consent." Under the current system, even if the disclosure of personal information is decided, recent photos cannot be disclosed if the suspect refuses.

Additionally, 94.3% of respondents believed that the scope of crimes subject to personal information disclosure should be expanded to include child sex crimes, random assaults, and serious crimes (such as drugs and terrorism).

Jung Seung-yoon, Secretary General of the ACRC, said, "The high public interest and demand for the expansion of personal information disclosure of violent criminals were reflected in this survey result," adding, "We plan to collaborate with relevant ministries to ensure that the public's voice on the disclosure system is reflected in the National Assembly's legislation and policy formulation."

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