Expansion of Personal Information Disclosure and Comprehensive Child Surveys... '2023 Incidents and Accidents' Leading System Improvements

Interest in incidents like weapon rampage, child abuse, Seoi Elementary School case
Experts: "Increased public access to information... feedback also rises"

The year 2023 was marked by a variety of incidents and accidents, ranging from violent crimes and family crimes that defy natural bonds to drug-related cases deeply rooted throughout society.

In particular, there were numerous significant cases that led to institutional improvements, such as the expansion of the scope for public disclosure of personal information and the abolition of laws against infant murder and abandonment.

Yoonho Lee, Distinguished Professor of Police Science at Korea Cyber University, said on the 22nd, “With the activation of social networking services (SNS), the public’s access to various information has improved,” adding, “This is interpreted as the government actively responding to feedback on various issues.”

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is delivering a public statement regarding the stabbing incident on the afternoon of the 4th at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Weapon Rampages That Shook Public Anxiety... Expansion of Personal Information Disclosure

Tragic and hard-to-understand incidents occurred one after another during the peak of the summer heat in July and August. On July 21, in a busy area near Exit 4 of Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Cho Seon (33) wielded a weapon, killing a man in his 20s and injuring three men in their 30s.

Two weeks later, on August 3, Choi Wonjong (22) drove a Morning car and rammed into pedestrians at a bus stop in front of Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, then entered a shopping mall and indiscriminately wielded a weapon. A woman in her 60s died from the vehicle ramming, five people were injured, and a woman in her 20s who fell into a brain-dead state eventually passed away. Nine people were also injured by the weapon wielded by Choi Wonjong inside the shopping mall.

On August 17, another violent crime occurred in a park in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu. Choi Yoonjong (30) wore knuckles on both hands, punched a woman, and then sexually assaulted her. The victim was transferred to a hospital for treatment but ultimately died. As violent crimes continued, the police deployed special security operations involving the police special forces and armored vehicles.

To sound an alarm to criminals, the scope and range of personal information disclosure are also expanding. Starting next year, the crimes subject to personal information disclosure, which were previously limited to specific violent crimes (murder, killing of ascendants, rape, forced molestation, molestation of minors, etc.) and sexual violence crimes, will be expanded to include crimes such as rebellion and foreign exchange crimes, organized crime groups, sexual crimes against children and adolescents, and drug-related crimes.

Child Abuse Leading to a Full Survey

In February, an elementary school student who had not attended school since November of the previous year was found dead in an apartment in Namdong-gu, Incheon. The biological father and stepmother, who were indicted on charges of child abuse, told the school that the reason for the absence was homeschooling. This case became a catalyst for the Ministry of Education to conduct a full survey of 6,871 students who had been absent for more than seven days without recognized attendance at school.

As crimes related to “ghost children” who were not registered at birth continued nationwide, including the “Suwon Refrigerator Infant Corpse Case,” a revision to the Criminal Act was passed by the National Assembly plenary session to strengthen the punishment for infant murder and abandonment to the level of general murder and abandonment crimes. Parents who kill infants during birth or immediately after birth will face the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for up to five years, and abandonment will be punishable by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 5 million won.

On April 4, during the interim investigation briefing of the drug beverage incident in the Gangnam academy district, seized drug beverages and questionnaires were displayed. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Drug Crimes Continuing Throughout the Year... Police Officers Also Subject to Drug Testing

One of the crimes that shook South Korea this year was drugs. Actor Yoo Ah-in was caught smoking marijuana and other offenses and visited police stations from February, and in October, actor Lee Seon-gyun was investigated on drug use charges. In April, a shocking incident occurred when drinks mixed with methamphetamine were distributed to teenagers in the Gangnam academy district of Seoul, and recently, drug advertisement flyers were widely distributed on university campuses.

In August, a ‘Rolls-Royce’ driver intoxicated with narcotics crashed onto a sidewalk, killing a pedestrian, and a police officer attending a ‘drug meeting’ at an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, also died after falling.

Especially after it became known that a police officer attended a drug meeting, criticism grew, and the National Police Agency decided to conduct drug tests annually on all high-ranking police officials, including the Commissioner General, Senior Superintendent General, Superintendent General, Senior Superintendent, and 10% of ranks below Superintendent starting as early as the first half of next year.

On the afternoon of September 4, the 49th-day memorial for Seo I-cho teacher, participants are shouting slogans at the memorial rally held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Collapsed Teacher Authority... Teachers United Over the Seoi Elementary School Incident

On July 18, a first-grade homeroom teacher working at Seoi Elementary School in Seoul was found dead in the school’s teaching materials preparation room. There were suspicions from fellow teachers and others that the death was due to parental “gapjil” (abuse of power). Subsequently, tragedies of teachers taking extreme measures continued nationwide.

In response, in September, teachers nationwide held weekly rallies at Gwanghwamun Square demanding measures to protect teacher authority immediately after the death of the Seoi Elementary School teacher. Eventually, the Ministry of Education announced a “Comprehensive Plan to Restore and Strengthen Teacher Authority” on August 23, about a month after the incident, and the National Assembly passed the “Four Laws for Teacher Protection” in a plenary session on September 21.

However, more than half of teachers responded that they are exposed to indiscriminate child abuse accusations and lawsuits, and there are still criticisms that measures to protect teacher authority that teachers can actually feel are insufficient.

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