Public anger intensifies over court's leniency for brutal rapist

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliament is moving to drastically
toughen punishment of brutal criminals as public anger escalates over the Supreme
Court's lighter-than-expected prison term for a habitual sex offender convicted
of raping an eight-year-old girl.
The entire nation was stunned by the top court's confirmation on Wednesday of a
district court's 12-year jail term for a 57-year-old man convicted of brutally
beating and raping the girl, known only as Na-young, in a public restroom while
on her way to school in December last year.
The brutality of the attack, in which Na-young lost her genitals, anus and parts
of her intestines, as well as the perpetrator's steadfast denial of guilt
throughout court trials, have further angered the public, prompting hundreds of
thousands of netizens to launch an on-line petition calling for capital
punishment for his crime.
The ruling Grand National Party said Thursday that it will push to toughen
punishment against perpetrators of rape and other brutal crimes by revising the
current criminal law restricting the length of imprisonment to 15 years.
"The criminal law is problematic as it sets the ceiling of imprisonment at below
15 years. Due to the legal restrictions, the court is barred from giving heavy
prison terms of 20 to 40 years," said Ahn Sang-soo, floor leader of the ruling
party.
South Korea has maintained an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment since
1997.
"The parliament should review the law to abolish the upper limit on jail terms
for perpetrators of such inhuman crimes," Ahn said, urging the judiciary and
prosecution to heed mounting public resentment over their leniency towards sex
offenders, in particular.
The party's latest move follows President Lee Myung-bak's expression of regret
over the court ruling in the Na-young case. While presiding over a weekly Cabinet
meeting, Lee voiced deep resentment and instructed his ministers to devise
measures to prevent a recurrence of similar cases.
"I think such a person should be permanently separated from our society," Lee was
quoted as telling the Cabinet meeting.
The release of Na-young's personal drawing, in which a man is standing behind
bars, has further fueled public anger.
Nearly 400,000 netizens have signed a petition at the Internet portal site Daum
calling for the imposition of capital punishment and compensation.
"All sex criminals, including child rapists, should be punished severely and
monitored permanently, never allowing them to come back to society," a petitioner
identified as 'Monacu' said. "We should also build a systematic and efficient
national network on sex education."
Prosecutors, who demanded a life sentence against Na-young's attacker, identified
only by his family name Cho, also expressed regret over the Supreme Court's
decision.
"Cho ran away with tap water on to cover up his crime even though Na-young
collapsed on the toilet floor. He also has persistently denied his crime," said
an official from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. "Heavy punishment should
be inflicted upon criminals like Cho."
South Korea recently passed legislation forcing sex offenders, including child
kidnappers, to wear electronic cuffs as part of efforts to curb repeat offenses.
The mandatory anklet system gained traction after two teenage girls were abducted
and murdered by a neighbor in Anyang, south of Seoul, in early 2008.
According to the National Police Agency's data, the number of rape victims aged
15 years or younger reached 2,674 last year, steadily rising from 1,402 in 2005,
2,178 in 2006 and 2,302 in 2007.
brk@yna.co.kr
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