High-profile rapist sentenced to life imprisonment

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a life sentence for a 25-year-old man on charges of kidnapping and raping a female child in Naju, South Jeolla Province.

Defendant Ko Jong-suk was convicted of kidnapping an 8-year-old girl asleep at her home, and attempting to kill her after raping her under a bridge in 2012. The victim was left with permanent organ damage.

The court upheld the lower court’s decision for Ko to receive chemical castration for five years to stifle his sexual impulses. This is the first time the court has ordered a penalty of chemical castration for sex offenders.

“The defendant premeditatedly and meticulously committed a crime and did not hesitate to act in a perverted and brutal way,” the court said. “The original ruling of drug treatment is reasonable as Ko had shown symptoms of sexual perversion and antisocial personality disorder before committing the crime.”

If he were ever set free on parole, Ko would have to wear an electronic tag on his ankle for 30 years for monitoring purposes. In addition, his personal information would be available to the public for 10 years. 

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)