[단독] 檢, ‘Juvenile Sexual Offenses’ Kim Geun-sik Chemical Castration Review

Pursuing a drug treatment order request for sexual chung-dong

Expert “0 recidivists out of 62 who have taken drugs”
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“Contextual improvement of the system such as the legislation on processing and supervision”

On the 19th it was found that the prosecution is considering a request for “drug treatment for sexual urgency” (chemical castration) for Kim Geun-sik (54), a serial child sex offender who was arrested with the accuses of another sexual crime the day before his release. While acknowledging the effect of chemical castration, the experts advised jointly making institutional improvements such as the revision of the Treatment and Protection Act as this is a symptomatic treatment.

A prosecutor said: “The Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Attorney’s Office is investigating whether Kim Geun-sik meets the application requirements set out in the Seongchung-dong Drug Treatment Act.” Anyang District Office plans to prosecute Kim Geun-sik, who was arrested on the 16th, before his detention period expired on the 4th of next month, after conducting a reinforcement investigation.

According to the sex drive drug treatment system, which was implemented in 2011, if a perverted person who has committed a crime of sexual violence is at risk of recidivism, a treatment order can be ordered for up to 15 years on request of the public prosecutor and the judgment of the court. When Kim Geun-sik was sentenced to 15 years in prison on the 17th, when his sentence ended, the system was not implemented. However, with the introduction of the system in the meantime, it is possible to apply for a drug treatment order for sex offenders which the prosecution will file a new indictment towards next month.

Current chemical castration primarily uses a method of suppressing libido by injecting a drug that blocks the secretion of testosterone, a male hormone or a female hormone such as estrodiol. It is applicable to patients with paraphilia who have sexual predispositions, such as pedophilia or sadism, or who are determined not to be able to control their behavior from the emotions of a psychiatrist. Experts believe that if the prosecution requests a drug treatment order for Kim Geun-sik, the court is very likely to accept it.

The effectiveness of chemical castration has already been demonstrated to some extent. Imim-ho Lim, professor of psychotherapy at Dankook University, said: “There was no relapse during that follow-up period for more than two years of 8 subjects on drug treatment,” he explained.

Kim Byeong-bae, professor of crime correction at Kyonggi University, said: “Since the application of the relevant law in 2011, 62 people in Korea have been chemically castrated and no one has committed a crime since.

However, experts pointed out that chemical castration alone cannot control all sex offenders like Kim Geun-sik. In particular, when drug administration is stopped, the effect of drug treatment disappears again and there is a consensus on the need for more fundamental systemic improvement. Lee Su-jeong, Professor of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University, said: “What is the meaning of forcibly administering drugs to a person who is not compliant with psychological treatment? It is also a way to call again if one violates the law. “

Seung Jae-hyeon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Criminal and Justice Policy, also said: “The most effective, but not sufficient, is drug treatment.”

By Kang Yoon-hyuk, staff reporter
Journalist Kim Jung-hwa