The program through which the identities of individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children and minors are made public is being taken to the next level. The government Commission on Youth Protection says it will have the law revised so that dangerous criminals convicted of serious crimes, such as the repeated rape of children, will have both their pictures and addresses made public as well.

Sexual crimes, particularly against children and youth who unable to protect themselves, are especially cruel because they leave emotional wounds that sometimes never heal. Unfortunately, there is a still a tendency in our society to fail to take the weight of such crimes seriously. We think disclosing offenders’ pictures, therefore, is necessary to prevent the creation of more victims. The plan is to make information about repeat offenders, who have the potential to commit similar crimes in the future, and make it available for review at police stations or neighborhood government offices by residents the offender’s neighborhood of residence. Individuals so exposed would be prohibited from employment in child care, education, or related fields for a set period of time.

On August 2001 the commission disclosed the names of approximately 2,000 people who paid for sex with minors, but they say there has been no perceivable effect in reducing such crime, and that is what has led to the move to go farther with more immediate information about the identities of the convicted. You have to think of it as a disease if someone has repeatedly raped children. We hope that the move will be of substantial help in protecting children and youth from sexual crimes.

(The Hankyoreh, 15 July 2004)