Taxi Driver with 'Sex Crime Record' Assaults Passenger Again... Man in His 60s Arrested and Indicted

"Regulatory Gap in Restricting Taxi Driver Qualifications for Sex Offenders"

A taxi driver with a history of sex crimes has been brought to trial again on charges of sexually assaulting a female passenger while operating a taxi. Concerns have been raised about gaps in the system restricting taxi driver qualifications for sex offenders.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 17th, the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-ah) announced that taxi driver A (61, male) was arrested and indicted on the 15th on charges of quasi-rape, and a request was made for the attachment of an electronic location tracking device.

According to the prosecution, A is accused of taking a female university student B, who was intoxicated, into a motel near Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 4th of last month and sexually assaulting her.

A was previously sentenced to three years in prison in 2006 for sexually assaulting a female passenger in her 20s while operating a taxi. He was also punished twice in 2021 for charges of sexual harassment.

Due to the mobility and enclosed nature of taxis, granting taxi driver qualifications to sex offenders increases the risk of reoffending; however, due to issues with the regulations restricting taxi driver qualifications, A has continued to operate a taxi.

Under current law, if a person was sentenced to imprisonment for a sex crime before 2012, their qualification is restricted for two years after release, and if fined, there are no restrictions on their qualifications. For sentences after 2012, qualification is restricted for 20 years after release.

Taxi drivers are not included among the institutions subject to the "employment restriction order," which can be imposed alongside a guilty verdict for sex crimes.

The prosecution stated, "We have confirmed the problems with the current law regarding restrictions on taxi driver qualifications for sex offenders and the need for legislative improvement, and we will respond strictly to sex crimes."

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