Cho Doo-soon, probably the most infamous child rapist in South Korea, will be freed from jail this Sunday (Dec. 13) after completing his prison term. He is the prototype of the criminal in the 2013 movie Sowon.
After his release, Cho's photo and other personal information will be available online to the public for five years. In addition, he also needs to wear an electronic ankle bracelet that can be used to locate him for a period of seven years.
According to the reportage of Korean media, this 68-year-old man has been actively working out in his cell, and can easily do 1,000 push-ups in an hour, with a physical condition even better than some young people.
After being released from prison, Cho will return to his home in Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province of South Korea. It is said that his victim moved away for fear of facing the criminal again.
Facing public outrage and concerns of local residents, South Korean government decided to install 3,700 additional surveillance cameras in Ansan City and set up a "women's safe zone" within 1 kilometer of Cho's house, where mobile patrol teams will be on duty and protection observers will monitor Cho 24 hours a day.
In 2008, Cho, with a criminal record of 17 crimes including rape and a bodily injury resulting in death, kidnapped and raped an 8-year-old girl inside a church bathroom in Ansan. The victim suffered severe and permanent damage to her reproductive system and had to rely on an artificial anus for defecation for the rest of her life. In 2009, Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In March 2019, the National Assembly of South Korea passed the "Cho Doo-soon Surveillance Act," a bill that provides for 24-hour, one-on-one surveillance of offenders who have committed sex crimes against minors and are at risk of reoffending, for at least six months after their release from prison.
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