Serial sex offender kept in jail over new charge

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Serial sex offender kept in jail over new charge

Kim Geun-sik, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping 11 minors in 2006, will remain in prison for the time being after prosecutors on Sunday obtained a fresh arrest warrant for another sexual assault he allegedly committed that same year. [INCHEON METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

Kim Geun-sik, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping 11 minors in 2006, will remain in prison for the time being after prosecutors on Sunday obtained a fresh arrest warrant for another sexual assault he allegedly committed that same year. [INCHEON METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

 
Prosecutors on Sunday obtained an arrest warrant for a 54-year-old serial sex offender due to be released from prison on Monday.
 
Kim Geun-sik, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2006 for raping 11 minors in Incheon's Seo and Gyeyang Districts and various parts of Gyeonggi from May to September that year, is alleged by prosecutors to have molested another 13-year-old in 2006.
 
The victim came forward with a criminal complaint against Kim in December 2020, over a decade after he was jailed for the other offenses.
 
Police interrogated Kim with the victim present several times before passing the case to the prosecution, who decided to seek additional charges against Kim since the statute of limitations had not expired
 
An official from the state prosecution service who spoke on condition of anonymity to the JoongAng Ilbo denied that prosecutors filed an arrest warrant to prolong Kim’s imprisonment.
 
Judge Song Joong-ho of the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court granted prosecutors’ last-minute request to keep Kim in custody, acknowledging that the prosecution service had presented a strong case against Kim and that there was a risk he could attempt to go into hiding should he be released from prison as scheduled.
 
Under Article 1 of the Criminal Code and the 2006 Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes and Protection of Victims, Kim could be imprisoned between one to 15 more years if convicted of the charge in the arrest warrant.
 
Fifteen years’ imprisonment was the maximum sentence for molestation at the time the victim alleged it occurred.
 
Users of online parental communities on social media applauded the quick approval of Kim’s arrest warrant, but several have written posts and comments that Kim “should be removed from society for the rest of his life.”
 
If Kim had been released from prison on Monday, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family would have publicized Kim’s personal details, such as his height, weight and other identifying features, as well as his home address on the Sex Offender Notice website.
 
Kim would have had to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and be under 24-hour surveillance from the day of his release, according to the Justice Ministry in September.
 
The ministry also announced on Sept. 22 that it would seek a partial amendment to the Medical Treatment and Custody Act to expand treatment for sex offenders with a history of pedophilia.
 
Convicts who commit additional sexual offenses or otherwise violate the conditions of their release and are deemed to be at risk of recidivism could also be subject to indefinite detention, according to the ministry.
 
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said in a Sept. 15 press briefing that such measures would ensure “strong protection for children, and especially vulnerable children, from violent criminals.”  
 
But some have expressed concerns about the ethical and constitutional questions posed by extending prison sentences that have already been served.
 
“While I sympathize with the consternation felt by the victims and ordinary people [regarding Kim’s scheduled release], allowing indefinite detention could violate basic rights as well as the constitutional principle of double jeopardy,” said Cho Young-kwan, a member of the civic group Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
 

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
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