Gov’t revealing more detailed info on sex offenders

The government announced that starting from June 19 people will be able to track down sex offenders on the Internet and pinpoint the buildings in which they live.

The sex offender database now identifies the town or neighborhood where convicted sex criminals reside but doesn’t specify street addresses or building names.

In addition, more detailed criminal records will be open to the public along with information as to whether the convicts wear tracking devices or not.

The new initiative, which was made official during a ministerial meeting presided over by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, is meant to alert people to the potential for sex crimes in their neighborhoods.

“Sexual abuse cases pose a serious threat to our society,” said the prime minister yesterday. “Therefore, each division should go the extra mile to lower the sex crime rate.”

Already certain institutions like kindergartens and schools receive regular mailings by the postal service on information about the sex offender in their neighborhoods. In the future, the government will send them to hagwon, or cram schools, day care centers and teen training centers.

The law enforcement agencies also announced a plan to launch a mobile tracking service as early as next year through which people can get access to basic backgrounds of sex criminal via mobile devices.

The new measures are in line with the Park Geun-hye administration’s push to make more information available for public safety.

The Ministry of Security and Public Administration announced last month that it will allow citizens to view a map outlining the density of different types of crimes by location, including homicide and rape.

The map would also detail areas of school bullying.

Along with the crime map, the government seeks to allocate 110 million won ($97,203) to build an integrated system by the end of this year in which diverse information regarding public safety, such as the frequency of natural disasters and car accidents, is stored.

By Park Eun-jee [ejpark@joongang.co.kr]