The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed Sunday to enact a special bill to expand the disclosure of personal data of violent crime assailants to the public, in response to heightened public concern over a series of heinous crimes.
The agreement was discussed during a policy consultation meeting between the PPP and top government officials, including Prime Minster Han Deok-soo and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon.
According to the agreement, the plan will include suspects involved in grave crimes, such as terrorism, organized gangs, drugs, and sex crimes targeting children, as well as violence targeting random female victims.
"(The government and the PPP) acknowledge the gravity of heinous crimes and will promptly enact a special bill to expand the disclosure of personal information of serious criminals," Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, a PPP spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting.
The decision comes amid increasing public concern over a series of high-profile violent crimes targeting random individuals and socially vulnerable groups. One notable case is the so-called "spin kick" assailant in the southeastern port city of Busan.
The male assailant was handed down a 20-year-prison term in an appellate ruling Sunday for indiscriminately assaulting a woman in her 20s near her home in central Busan. He was convicted of following the victim, to whom he had no personal connection, and knocking her out with a roundhouse kick to the back of the head, and then kept assaulting her until she passed out.
The proposed bill will also broaden the definition of a suspect to include "a suspect following the indictment."
Additionally, the bill will specify that the photos of criminals to be disclosed to the public must have been taken within the previous 30 days. The move aims to address criticism that many of the photos currently provided are often unrecognizable. (Yonhap)
