[Newsmaker] Questions remain as infamous child rapist set for release on weekend

Infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon is set to be released Saturday, with controversy lingering as to whether he should be released and what the country should do to protect potential victims.

Cho, who brutally assaulted an 8-year-old girl in 2008, will be released from prison Dec. 12 after 12 years in prison. It is not known which correctional facility he will be released from on that date, but he will be set free between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Upon release, Cho will be tracked at all times via a GPS-enabled electronic anklet for the next seven years as required by law. His personal information, including the address of his residence, will be made public online.

People who live nearby will be notified when he moves in and out of a neighborhood. The prosecution asked that Cho be barred from consuming alcohol and staying outdoors in the late hours, but the court has not yet made a decision.

The criminal’s scheduled return to society has been feared by many -- by parents in particular.

In 2008, Cho, then 57 and with a record of 17 crimes including rape and bodily injury resulting in death, kidnapped a child and raped her in a church bathroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The victim suffered severe and permanent damage to her reproductive system.

His 12-year prison sentence was widely denounced as too lenient. The court cited “mental and physical weakness under the influence of alcohol” in reducing Cho’s original prison term from 15 years to 12 years.

Cho is set to live in a different neighborhood in Ansan upon release, after his wife moved to new a home last month. His wife reportedly made that decision due to complaints from nearby residents.

The police and the Ansan city government have installed 35 new surveillance cameras near the new residence and are planning to dispatch more police officers nearby to protect women and children in the area.

South Koreans have argued for much stricter control over Cho after his release, saying the measures in place are insufficient to protect children and that he does not seem to have corrected his behavior.

His fellow inmates said in local interviews that Cho remains violent. Cho has also done push-ups and sit-ups while in solitary confinement, they said.

Criminal psychology researchers at Kyonggi University concluded that Cho has a 76 percent chance of reoffending. A big data analysis found that Cho has alcohol issues and cannot control his anger, which raises the probability of recidivism.

A number of public petitions were circulated asking that Cho be imprisoned or monitored for life, with some even arguing for the death penalty for crimes against minors.

In light of such worries, the National Assembly is reviewing a legislative revision that would prohibit child rapists including Cho from being outdoors during commuting hours and bar them from entering school zones.

The neighborhood where Cho is set to live after his release has an elementary school, a high school, a children’s library and a kindergarten. The bill, intended to be effective immediately if it is passed into law, passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Friday.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)