Gov't eyes more manpower to better supervise sex offenders

The government plans to newly hire more than 100 personnel to supervise sex offenders and other violent criminals as part of efforts to eradicate such violent crimes, officials said Tuesday.

According to the plan endorsed by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Justice will expand its structure to hire 125 more employees, including probation officers and researchers, who will oversee the criminals.

There have been consistent calls for beefing up manpower in the wake of a series of repeated crimes by serious offenders and cases where criminals ran away after breaking their electronic monitoring anklets.

President Park Geun-hye has vowed to protect citizens from the so-called major four ills -- sexual violence, school violence, domestic crimes and substandard food. As the latest measure, the government revised a law to disclose the home addresses of convicted sex offenders and make them available via mobile handsets.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved a proposal to open a new branch of the national immigration office in southern Seoul to promote convenience of foreigners residing in the capital city, according to officials. (Yonhap News)