Chemical castration requests jump on revised law

The prosecution's requests for chemical castration for sex offenders rose sharply this year as a revised law allows the hormonal treatment for even those who commit sexual violence against adults, the top prosecution office said Sunday.

The Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office (SPPO) said it filed 17 requests for chemical castration with the court in the first seven months of this year, more than double the seven requests for the full year of 2012.

The jump results from the amendment to a related act that allows the prosecution to seek chemical castration for those who sexually assault grown-ups, the office said.

Previously, the prosecution was permitted to request court approval of chemical castration, which suppresses sexual impulse for three years, for those convicted of sex crimes against minors under 19.

The SPPO said it will continue to seek more requests for chemical castration in an effort to prevent sexual offenders from lapsing into recidivism.

In a landmark ruling in January, a Seoul court sentenced a 31-year-old pedophile to 15 years in prison and ordered that he be subject to chemical castration. (Yonhap news)