SKorea passes bill to legalize chemical castration for child sex offenders

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SKorea takes step to legalize chemical castration

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament voted Tuesday to legalize chemical castration as punishment for convicted child sex offenders after a series of violent assaults that have sparked outrage nationwide.

The bill was first introduced in 2008 in response to a high-profile case in which a 58-year-old man raped and assaulted an 8-year-old girl. The attack caused widespread revulsion and left the victim with lasting physical injuries.

Government policies, including the installation of more security personnel near school grounds as well as multiple surveillance cameras, have not prevented a series of similar cases.

A 33-year-old man who raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl in February was sentenced to death last week. In another high-profile case, a 45-year-old man allegedly kidnapped a student from her elementary school and raped her in the basement of a church.

The legislation, which requires the South Korea’s president signature to become law, would allow judges to sentence adult sex offenders who victimize minors under 16 and have been diagnosed as sexual deviants to chemical castration.

It was unclear if Lee would sign the legislation. He is on a visit to Latin America and his office could not offer direct comment regarding passage by the legislature.

The procedure involves the administration of testosterone-suppressing hormones intended to curb sexual drive. Offenders would also receive behavioral and psychological therapies.

The vote makes South Korea the first country in Asia to pass legislation to legalize chemical castration, according to Yoo Jin-hee, an aide to Park Young-sun, a member of the assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

South Korean legislators at the National Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 137-13. More than 140 lawmakers either did not make a choice or did not vote. The legislation would take effect a year after President Lee Myung-bak signs it into law.

The U.S. state of Louisiana passed a chemical castration law in 2008, allowing judges to impose drug treatment on those found guilty of crimes including molestation of a juvenile, aggravated rape, forcible rape, second-degree sexual battery and aggravated incest.