The face, residence and other personal information of Cho Doo-soon, 73, who served 12 years for child rape, have disappeared from the internet. That is because the court-ordered disclosure period has ended.
According to legal sources on the 15th, searches for information on Cho Doo-soon became unavailable as of the 12th on the "Sex Offender Alert e" website run by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The five-year order to disclose personal information, imposed when he was released in Dec. 2020, has expired.
"Sex Offender Alert e" is a system implemented since 2008 based on the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Offenses. It allows the public to view, after identity verification, the photos, actual residence, and criminal records of sex offenders with a high risk of reoffending. At the time, the court ordered that Cho Doo-soon's information be disclosed for five years after his release, considering the brutality of his crimes and his psychopathic tendencies.
In particular, the National Assembly passed the so-called "Cho Doo-soon prevention law," requiring his address to be disclosed in detail down to the road name and building number, and has operated a 24-hour monitoring system around his residence in Ansan. However, now that the disclosure period has ended, ordinary citizens no longer have a way to check where Cho Doo-soon is living.
Even under surveillance, Cho Doo-soon repeatedly engaged in erratic behavior. After his release, he twice left his residence without permission and stood trial. In Dec. 2023, he was indicted on charges of unauthorized departure from his residence and was sentenced to three months in prison.
He is also standing trial again on charges of leaving his home in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi, without permission at about 8 a.m. on Oct. 10. Earlier, on Oct. 6, he allegedly intentionally cut power to his at-home monitoring device to avoid contact from his probation officer or damaged the equipment.
At a hearing last month, prosecutors asked the court to order medical custody for Cho Doo-soon, saying he "appears to be suffering from a mental illness and seems to need medication and other treatment."