Korean Job Discussion Forums

garykasparov · Joined: 27 May 2007

Child Sex Offenders to Get Harsher Punishment

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/113_23739.html

By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

The Cabinet Tuesday adopted an amendment toughening up the law against child sex offenders.

Under the amended law, those convicted of molestation and murder of minors under the age of 13 would be given a death sentence or a life sentence.

Those convicted of molestation would be sentenced to at least seven years in jail, while those convicted of sexual harassment would receive a minimum of three years in jail or up to 30 million won ($30,000) in fines.

The government has been working on measures to toughen up the law against sex offenders following a highly publicized case involving the murders of two schoolchildren.

The suspect in the gruesome case was caught in March and confessed to kidnapping and murdering two elementary school children who went missing last December.

The National Assembly also passed a bill earlier that would require convicted sex offenders to wear an anklet embedded with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device for at least five years. The monitoring requirement is scheduled to go into effect beginning October.

Rep. Park Sei-hwan of the Grand National Party, who had drafted the GPS monitoring bill last year, had said: ``Our society has witnessed a drastically increased number of child sex crime cases, as seen in the case involving two elementary school children. It's time to take tougher measures to prevent these tragic incidents from recurring in the future."

The Ministry of Justice has also said it is looking at compiling a DNA database of convicted sex offenders but that initiative has been facing criticism from civil rights groups on the grounds that it breaches individual rights.

Other countries also have been tightening up their policies in recent years in monitoring convicted sex offenders.

In the United States, for example, the Justice Department coordinates the National Sex Offender Public Registry web site that enables every citizen to search the latest information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the identity and location of known sex offenders.

Additionally, more than 20 states use GPS monitoring system to track convicted sex offenders.

[email protected]

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I'll never teach kids younger than 13 again here. No thanks.

It just takes one stupid kid with a grudge, or parents out to make money off of the foreigner or hagwon, to put you in jail for the rest of your life or have you killed.

No thanks.

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

bacasper · Joined: 26 Mar 2007

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Guys, it happened to a neighbor at a Kids Herald hagwon down the street. Don't know what was truth and what wasn't, but the guy was deported and paid over 7 million in legal fees -- he was advised to admit partial guilt so he wouldn't face jail time.

With the new laws, I wonder what would have happened in his situation.

poet13 · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject:

I'm all for savage penalties for people who mess with kids, but bassexpeander is right here,..."It just takes one stupid kid with a grudge, or parents out to make money off of the foreigner or hagwon, to put you in jail for the rest of your life or have you killed."

bacasper · Joined: 26 Mar 2007

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

poet13 · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:23 pm Post subject:

"poet13 wrote:
I'm all for savage penalties for people who mess with kids, but bassexpeander is right here,..."It just takes one stupid kid with a grudge, or parents out to make money off of the foreigner or hagwon, to put you in jail for the rest of your life or have you killed."

bacasper wrote:
Well then, who should teach elementary school? You seem to be saying this is an acceptable risk for an elementary teacher. So the very real risk of a life or death sentence is acceptable for a teacher just to be able to teach young students?

Well, no, I'm not saying it's an acceptable risk. I was acknowledging that foreigners are percieved by many Koreans differently than Koreans.

In some cases, Koreans get away with perversions that would land us in jail. I'm thinking of the Burberry guys who hang around girls schools exposing themselves to kids, but are viewed as little more than a nuisance. I'm thinking of the stories you hear about where Korean teachers abuse female students and the girls just consider it a rite of passage. At my school last year, during our Christmas party (2nd place), I ended up with an adorable but rented, naked, college girl in my lap while two more were group-groped by the other male teachers and a groundskeeper. The groundskeeper has since, at his request, transferred to a nearby girls middle school. He likes being around pretty girls. (HIS words)

Contrast that with the fact that in the US right now, teachers are being FIRED for racy MySpace, and Friendster homepages.

Yup, us foreigners are going to have to teach kids. But all we can do it try to protect ourselves by welcoming that CCTV, leaving our doors open, and making sure that we don't allow situations that could be construed as innapropriate.

Personally, I wish there was a magic x-ray thingie that detects whos a pervert and whos not. Those who are could be launched via trebuchet in the general direction of Australia, and then people like me who are tactile, and who enjoy relationships with students outside of school can do so without worrying about what others think.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

So you're side-stepping, Dog?

You're telling me this change in law is nothing for foreigners to worry about?

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

Yesterday · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 2:22 am Post subject:

Its obviously a load of bullshit...

otherwise there should be 20~30 young 12~13 years old Daegu Elementary schools students receiving life sentences now....

THEY moloested and raped their fellow classmates...

punishment?? read a book...

here we have an example of anothewr poster who got all "excited" after discovering the age of consent "may be 13 y.o." -

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=121932

poet13 · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 2:26 am Post subject:

Raped? I didn't read that. I heard they were sexually assaulted and molested, which has an incredibly broad definition. If this were the US, an unwanted hug can bring a charge of sexual assault.