KCC to crack down on tampering with electronic anklets

The Korea Communications Commission said Monday that it plans to stage a crackdown on devices that intentionally disturb the radio waves sent off by sex offenders’ electronic anklets.

Together with its affiliate the Central Radio Management Office, the country’s media regulator will focus on detecting the electronic devices that mask the location of sex offenders with the anklets.

The move takes place as the nation has been seeing a growing number of shocking sex crimes recently. Last week’s kidnapping and rape of a 7-year-old girl from her own house and the rape of an eight-month-pregnant woman in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, raised calls to the government for tougher action.

Devices that help prevent sex offenders from being caught in action are being sold despite the government’s move to supervise the high-level group of convicted offenders with the electronic anklets.

As of last month, there were about 2,000 sex offenders wearing the electronic anklets, which were introduced in 2008.

“Although it is difficult to bust the sales of such devices since they are sold secretly in the market, we first plan to investigate electronic stores in Seoul and the metropolitan areas,” said a government official. “We will also look into local online shopping sites to figure out if they are being traded there as well.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)