The government and the ruling Saenuri Party are to toughen the punishment for sex crimes and expand the disclosure of perpetrators’ identities.

The Ministry of Justice will take over the management of sex offenders’ information and increase the number of perpetrators whose personal information is made public.

In order to toughen the rules, sexual assaults against minors under 13 years old will be subject to the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and Protection of Victims, which will allow for a life sentence for those convicted. Currently, child molesters are given more than five-year jail terms based on a separate law.

The statute of limitations for heavy crimes such as sexual assault, homicide, robbery and murder will be abolished. Currently, only crimes committed against children under 13 years old have no time constraints for prosecution.

To strengthen the management and monitoring of sex crime perpetrators, a bill will also be submitted to have personal information of those convicted since 2008 revealed on a retroactive basis. The plans were announced at a meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon.

Currently, 1,700 sex offenders are publicly listed. Their names, ages, addresses, vehicle plate numbers and other details are mailed to nearby households with members under 19 years old and are searchable at local police stations. However, only 8.5 percent of the total 20,000 convicted perpetrators have been subject to the rule since the disclosure became mandatory for those convicted after April 2011.

A tougher monitoring program will also be conducted on convicted sex offenders including greater use of electronic anklets, which were adopted in 2008. First-time offenders against minors or disabled people will be subject to wear the gadget which sends information of the person’s whereabouts of to the authorities.

Personal information of sex offenders will be made easier to access by teenagers. Currently, underage users have to undergo a complicated identification certification process to search for sex criminals in their neighborhood.

In an attempt to prevent crime prevalence, perpetrators with high risk of repeat offenses will be closely monitored and provided with consultation and therapy after their discharge from prison.

In order to protect children frequently left alone at home, which places them at higher risk of becoming victims, schools will provide a daycare system placing social welfare workers at schools for students from the low-income bracket. Currently only elementary school underprivileged first and second graders benefit from the program.

Rep. Kim Hee-jung of the ruling party said the three step plan ― prevention, harsh punishment and management ― will strengthen the social safety net.

The moves came in the wake of the murders of a 10-year-old elementary school girl in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and a tourist in Jeju by possible sex offenders earlier this month.

It was revealed that the prime suspect in the murder of Han Ah-reum in Tongyeong had been previously jailed for four years for attempting to rape and assault a 62-year-old woman seven years ago. However, he was not subject to the compulsory information disclosure.

Han also reportedly spent most of her time alone at home for her father was busy making a living.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)