COUNTRY REPORT - KOREA
By Mr. Dong Keun Lee*I. INTRODUCTION
Sexual assault is now recognized as one of the more significant problems in modern society. The severityof the problem of sexual offences is the result of the number of individuals who are victimized and thedegree of harm they suffer by their victimization.

A. Concept of Sexual Offences
1. Rape
Rape means to be forced to have sexual intercourse, usually by violence or threats of violence. If
someone has sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, the crime of rape is constituted even if there was noviolence. Rape is an offence based on accusation and it is possible to prosecute if there is accusation under
the legal action. (Article 297, 305, 306, Criminal Law.)
2. Aggravated Rape
In cases of aggravated rape the punishment is doubled for the offender under some circumstances. If theoffender is armed, or if more than one offender attempts to commit rape by force resulting in injury to thevictim, such offenders can be sentenced to life imprisonment or 7 to 10 years imprisonment or more.
(Article no. 6, Sexual Violence law)
3. Indecent Assault
Indecent assault is violence inflicted by threatening, and it infringes personal sexual independence. The
offender can be sentenced to up to 10 years of imprisonment or up to a 15,000 dollars penalty. (Article no.
298, Criminal law)
4. Sexual Harassment
In any workplace, one may commit sexual harassment verbally and it leads to scandalous feelings andemployment disadvantages or other damage.
The concept includes not only physical attachment, but also includes all sorts of behaviour such as lewdtalk, dirty stories, enforcing sexual relationships and showing or sending offensive pictures or publications.

B. Types of Sexual Offence
1. Conventional Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is any physical, verbal, and psychological behaviour which infringes upon a women's rightto decide her own sexual behaviour. Sexual violence is not limited to rape but extends to sexual harassment,child molestation, indecent exposure, and stalking. Any behaviour causing the fear of sexual violence andconstraints on a person’s activity as a result is also considered indirect sexual violence.
2. Cyber Sexual Harassment
Cyber sexual harassment means any behaviour sending one-sided sexual messages and giving discomfort
to somebody through information networks.
(i) Verbal sexual harassment
Most cyber sexual harassment is comprised of abusive language. Users of the internet are able to remain
relatively anonymous, and assaulters underestimate the magnitude of the sexual violence they inflict on thevictim.

(ii) Sexual violence by images and soundSending obscene images or sound causes shame and discomfort to the victim. Usually it is done throughon-line chatting, text messages and e-mails.
* Inspector, Seoul Detention Centre, Korea.

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C. Types of Victims
1. Juveniles
Sexual violence directed to a child under 18 years is also categorized as child sexual abuse. About 80% ofsuch crimes are committed by persons who are known to the victims. Those persons can be divided into two
types. One is sexual abuse by relatives. The other type is sexual abuse by ordinary people the victims see in
their everyday life. Many of the assaulters force the victims to keep the abuse secret.
It means sexual violence committed against youth who are aged between 13 and 19. There are many
male victims. Young people are becoming the main target of gangsters and armed robbery. Also comparedwith other generations, there is a high percentage of sexual violence by relatives, classmates and teachers.
2. Homosexuals
Most sexual violence is deeply related to the social hierarchy; from male to female, from senior to juniorand from elder to younger. Consequently, we tend to believe that there would be no sexual violence among
the same sex. We should understand that victimization by sexual violence can occur regardless of theperson’s sexual preference. Moreover, if the victims are homosexual and are threatened, it becomes harderfor them to ask for assistance from their parents or the police. In Korea, the court is said to be rather
reluctant to acknowledge the damage to homosexuals. However, if such an offence is committed against
their will, it should be recognized as sexual violence. Homosexual persons in Korea require additional legal
assistance in realizing their rights.
3. Handicapped Persons
When a handicapped person is victimized by a sexual offence, the law provides for heavier punishment
for offenders compared to normal cases due to their weak and handicapped position. Unfortunately, ourunderstanding of handicapped persons is still not sufficient, and we tend to neglect the fact that they havesexual preferences and desires. We need to respect their rights, at the same time we need to understandtheir physical differences.

D. Type of Offenders
1. Acquaintances
When the sexual violence is committed by a person close to the victim, the damage is often continued
because victims are so disappointed with their relatives, and it is hard to ask others for help. Also othermembers of the family don’t want to believe it’s happened or even deny that it’s happened because they areshocked and ashamed. People around them get angry or fearful and suffer from guilt that they couldn’t help
and protect the victim.
If the assaulter and victim are not separated the victim will require public help to be separated from theoffender in order that he/she can recover from the harm.
According to a study conducted by the Korean Institute of Criminology (1990), 77% of offences werecommitted by persons who were known to the victim. It includes relatives (11.0%), neighbours (10.7%),
colleagues (22.2%), date partners (6.3%), seniors and juniors (5.1%), teachers (2.8%) and clergymen (1.2%).
The victims tend to be very young when the offence is committed by relatives. The above study showedthat 43% of victims of sexual offences by relatives were under 13 years of age and 40% of them were aged
between 14 and 19.
2. Characteristics of Sexual Offenders
For the effective treatment of offenders, we need to discover the distinguishing characteristics of sexual
offenders.

(i) Family problems and educational backgroundResearch shows that most sexual offenders have low incomes and are poorly educated (Ford and Linney,
1995; Goodrow and Lim, 1998). They also have problems with relationships between their family members.

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If there is no proper relationship between family members, one would find it difficult to relate with others
in society. These facts may relate to the causing of sexual crimes by pressure.

(ii) Sex offenders strongly tend to deny their crimes
They are not able to recognize the true meaning of their behaviour and others’ reaction due to their lackof proper communication skills. Sexual Offenders often lack proper communication skills; therefore, they are
not able to imagine the consequences of their actions and the feeling of others that may be caused by their
behaviour.
They are characterized by denial and rationalization of the results of their behaviour. Such characteristics
often become obstacles in correcting their behaviour after they have offended.

(iii) Sex offenders cannot easily control their anger and they lack skills to control their emotions
A training programme is necessary to control their temperament.
(iv) Sex offenders lack social skills
Their limited social skills results in isolation. In order to treat sex offenders, training is required which
can increase their social skills.

II. CURRENT SITUATION AND PROBLEMS OF SEXUAL OFFENCES IN KOREA
A. The Trend in the Number of Sexual Offences
Table 1 shows prosecuted cases of sexual offences in Korea. There was a slight decrease in cases ofsexual crime from 1994 to 1997. But it shows the increasing tendency since 1998; 7886 cases in 1998, 8,830
cases in 1999, 10,189 cases in 2000, 10,489 cases in 2001, 9,435 cases in 2002 and 10,365 cases in 2003.

Table 1: Trend in the Number of Sexual Offences Committed
No. of Occurrences

Rate (per 100,000)

Total No. of
Sexual Violence
Offences

Rape

Total No. of
Sexual Violence
Sexual Violence
Law
Offences

1993

7,051

7,051

1994

7,415

6,169

1,246

16.5

2.8

1995

6,174

4,912

1,262

13.8

2.8

1996

7,157

5,668

1,470

15.4

3.2

1997

7,120

5,665

1,445

15.5

3.2

1998

7,886

6,016

1,870

16.8

4.0

1999

8,830

6,410

2,420

18.6

5.1

2000

10,187

6,982

3,207

21.3

6.7

2001

10,495

6,911

3,584

21.9

7.5

2002

9,535

9,435

19.6

2003

10,365

10,365

21.4

Rape

Sexual Violence
Law

16.0

Source: Prosecutors office criminal archives.

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B. The Relationship between Sexual Offence and Previous Convictions
Table 2 shows the previous imprisonment experience of offenders who were sentenced to imprisonment
for rape. As you can see the rate of offenders who have never been in prison is decreasing as the ratio was
53.6% in 1993, 49.4% in 1994, 40.8% in 1996, 36.6% in 1998, 33% in 2000 and 30.4% in 2001. On the other
hand, the ratio of offenders who have a previous history of conviction is increasing. Notably, the percentage
of rape offenders who have been in prison more than four times is increasing; 13.5% in 1993, 21.7% in 1996,
29.1% in 2000 and 30.6% in 2002.

Table 2: Previous Imprisonment Experience of Rape Inmates

Year

Rate of Offenders
Previously
ImprisonedOnce

2-3 Times

More than 4 Times

Numbers

1993

53.6

17.6

15.3

13.5

7311

1994

49.4

17.2

17.2

16.1

5247

1995

44.7

16.8

19.6

18.8

4682

1996

40.8

18.6

18.9

21.7

5254

1997

38.2

17.3

20.7

23.8

5092

1998

36.6

16.9

20.6

26.0

5113

1999

33.1

17.2

21.0

28.7

5750

2000

33.0

16.9

20.9

29.1

5627

2001

30.4

17.6

21.7

30.4

5241

2002

32.8

16.6

20.0

30.6

8166

2003

35.2

17.1

19.1

28.5

9044

Source: Jun Young Sil. Study on the rehabilitation programme for sexual offenders, 2005, p 16.

It is interesting to know whether an incarcerated sexual offender with previous imprisonment repeats thesame offence (rape). Table 3 shows the result. The rate of offenders who committed rape was 12.7% in 1994,
12.4% in 2003.

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Table 3: Percentage of Persons who Committed the Same Crime Among Rape Offenders
who have Previously Served Prison Sentences
Year

Same Crime

Different Crime

Total

1994

12.7

87.3

2,655

1995

11.4

88.6

2,591

1996

12.1

87.9

3,110

1997

11.7

88.3

3,148

1998

12.7

87.3

3,244

1999

12.3

87.7

3,849

2000

12.2

87.8

3,770

2001

12.8

87.2

3,650

2002

14.1

85.9

5,508

2003

12.4

87.6

5,870

Source: Jun Young Sil. Study on the rehabilitation programme for sexual offenders. 2005. p. 17.

C. Cyber Sexual Violence
The Korea Women’s Association (2001) conducted research on the situation of cyber sexual violence on
the internet based on an internet survey. As you can see from Graph 1 and Graph 2, females tend to be
victimized by cyber sexual harassment more than males. Among all internet users, 51.8% of women and27.9% of men responded that they had experienced cyber sexual harassment.

Graph 1: Rate of Experience of Cyber Sexual Damage by GenderAs you can see from Graph 2, the most frequent type of cyber sexual harassment against women was thedemand for sexual intercourse on the internet (it is called “com-sex”). Graph 3 shows the ratio of
respondents who have committed cyber sexual violence. As you would expect, a much higher rate of cybersexual harassment is committed by men. However, a considerable amount of sexual harassment iscommitted by females.

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Graph 2: Types of Cyber Sexual Harassment Experienced by Victims1

Female
Male

e

rs

-s

m

pr

ua

x
Se

ex

n

io

s
es

u
lc

x
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ua

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co

an

x
Se

em

D

D

em

an

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of

b

un

se

x

C

e
yb

rs

t

k
al

in

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Graph 3: Types of Cyber Sexual Violence Committed by Gender

Female
Male

l
ua

rse

x

Se

al

u
ex

S

n

sio

cu

ex

s
pre

D

an
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do

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-se

ex

x

n-s

u
fb

do

an

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De

Cy

be

ta
rs

lkin

g

Source: Korea Sexual Violence Relief Centre, Delete cyber sexual violence, 2001.

D. Problems of Hidden Crimes or Dark Numbers
It is very difficult for victims of sexual crime to file a complaint to the authorities. We need to realize theexistence of the dark numbers. In other words official statistics do not fully reflect the real magnitude ofoffences. We should acknowledge the limitations of the official record.
According to research conducted by the Korean Institute of Criminology in 1990, only 2.2% of rape isreported to the police. According to the research done by the same institute in 1998, only 6.1% of sexual
violence was reported to the authorities.
The same study showed 76.3% of women who felt victimized were harmed by minor offences.
43% of victims of sexual offences by relatives were under 13 years of age and 40% of them were aged
between 14 and 19.

1

Bun-sex: asking to have sexual intercourse on the internet and having real sexual intercourse.

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III. THE CURRENT LEGISLATION ON SEX OFFENCES IN KOREA
Korea has endeavoured to stipulate various new laws to counteract the new sexual criminality in addition
to the conventional criminal code.

A. The Juvenile Sex Protection Law
The Juvenile Sex Protection Law went into force on July 1, 2000. It includes provisions for: theprotection of juveniles from sex offenders; the punishment of those purchasing sex from juveniles; thepunishment for those who produce and/or distribute lewd materials involving juveniles; the punishment forsexual offenders; and rehabilitation and protection measures for juveniles subject to sexual offences.
This law also provides for the creation of the National Youth Commission, which is attached directly to
the Office of the Prime Minister. The Commission unites Youth Policy faculties which were previously
divided between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and National Youth Protection Commission, and Officeof the Prime Minister.
Most importantly, the Commission has the authority to register and decide whether to disclose theidentity of sexual offenders to the public.
1. Sex Offenders Registration(i) Persons becoming subject to the notification
According to article 22 and 23 of the youth protection law, when an offender sentenced for a sexual
offence which victimized youth is released from prison and it is believed he may repeat the sexual offence,
the offender is required to go to the Commission and register their identity such as their name, age,occupation, home address and photograph.

(ii) The period and sharing the information
The offender is required to notify the above within two months of becoming subject to registration by theCommission. The Commission has to maintain the profile of the sexual offender for five years. The victimsof the sexual offender, their lawyer and youth-related educational institutions can access the profile of thesexual offender. The Commission must inform the local police agency director of the registered information.
And the Commission can entrust the permission and management of the registered information to the local
police agency.
2. Disclosure of Sexual Offender Profile(i) Detail of public disclosure
According to article 20 of the Youth Protection Law, when an offender is sentenced for a sexual offence
which victimized youth, it is possible to disclose the profile of the offender such as their name, age andoccupation and detailed information about his crime.
Sentenced person means a person who has received punishment after the court has found him/her guiltyof an offence; however, an offender who receives a suspension of prosecution or the non-institution ofprosecution is not subject to this disclosure.

(ii) Offender subject to public disclosure
Under the youth protection law, the following criminals are subject to public disclosure.
Sexual offenders who have victimized a youth
Offenders of prostitution trafficking in youth
Producers, importers and exporters of child pornography
Offenders who trafficked youth(iii) Contents of public disclosure
The following information on the offender is provided to the public:
Name, age and date of birth;
Occupation and address; and- Information about their crime113

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The information about the sex offender will be made public through the official gazette. Additionally thesame information will be posted on the notice board of the Government building for a month and internet
homepage of the Youth Committee for six months.
3. Result of Public Disclosure: Has the Crime Decreased after Public Disclosure?
A statistically significant decrease was not reported in sexual offences against youth after the
introduction of the public disclosure system. Specialist often explain that it is because such policy increasessocial awareness towards sexual crime directed at youth and has resulted in a more strenuous effort by thepolice to control such crime. It is not easy to achieve the protection of youth in a short period of time.
4. Additional Measures of Public Disclosure
For the prevention of recidivism, the Committee carries out educational programmes for those who
commit minor sexual offences instead of disclosing their information to the public. The programme started
in the middle of 2003.
The Committee considers the eligibility of the offenders to participate in the educational programme but
participation is based on the will of the offender.
The educational programme consist of the following: watching a video programme on victims’ sufferingand a documentary programme that relates to trafficking. The programme is designed so that the offender
will eventually understand the damage caused to such youth and ultimately prevent them from repeating thesame offence.
When the offender has used force in his offence, we provide such opportunities as interviews and testingby psychologists, psycho-drama group therapy and intellectual therapy.
So far, people who have received the educational programme seemed to have reacted positively. They
seemed to understand the victims’ suffering: more than 90% of the people who received the education havechanged their attitude. The level of participation is evaluated high and the satisfaction in the subject isrelatively high.
Moreover, for those who are dangerous sexual criminals, the Committee is planning to consider
disclosing the pictures of the offenders and their detailed addresses. Amendments to the related laws arealso under consideration to introduce limiting their employment in the educational sectors.

B. Act on the Prevention of Prostitution and Protection of Victims Thereof (2004)
The Act on the Prevention of Prostitution (Crimes) and Protection of Victims Thereof was enacted with
the Act on the Punishment of Procuring Prostitution and Associated Acts to prevent prostitution, protect
prostitution victims, and support their independence. The Act mobilizes support centres to shelter sex
trafficking victims and prostitutes to receive medical treatment, legal aid and vocational training. These
centres will facilitate victims for their smooth return to society and prevent re-entry into the sex industry.
The director of the centre must accompany police during sex trafficking victim rescues, and the owner of the
facility that maintains prostitution will face severe punishment.
C. Act on the Punishment of Procuring Prostitution and Associated Acts (2004)
The Act on the Punishment of Procuring Prostitution and Associated Acts was legislated by the National
Assembly on March 22, 2004. The Act was designed to sever the channel between the supplier of
prostitutes and middle persons by punishing human trafficking, specifically for the purpose of countering
human trafficking. The solicitation to and extortion of prostitution is punished, and various types ofpunishment is enforced for each type of misconduct. The aim of the Act is ultimately to eradicate all forms ofsex trafficking practices. Anyone who reports such acts will be rewarded; any profits received (money orother articles) through trafficking will be confiscated and penalized; and bonds issued by sex peddlers toprostitutes will become void. If a sex trafficker reports a crime to the authorities or surrenders him/herself,
the punishment can be minimized or dismissed; and if anyone reports sex trafficking by a member of a crimeorganization, a reward will be issued.

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D. Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and Protection of Victims Thereof (1994)
The Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and Protection of Victims thereof (1994) outlines thepreventive measures for sex crimes, and protection of victims and punishment of the offenders. The Act has
been revised nine times, and the eighth revision (December 11, 2003) strengthened the protection forvictims in order to minimize any possible human rights violations during investigation and trials.
If the victim is under 13 years old or is disabled, a trusted person must be present during the interview
by the authorities, and testimony shall be video-taped to preserve the evidence. The revision also allows
video interviews for victims of sexual crimes such as rape and indecent assault.

E. A Bill on Electronic Monitoring
There is a high possibility that sexual crimes will be repeated by specific criminals. Therefore a billon an electronic monitoring system was submitted to the Congress in September 2005 and it is currently
under consideration. The bill stipulates that an electronic device be attached to sex offenders so theauthorities are able to locate their position after their release from prison.
IV. PROTECTION OF THE VICTIM
A. Necessity of the Victims’ Rights and Protection
Society sometimes maintains beliefs that totally contradict the reality that is represented by scientificevidence. The power of belief is too prevalent and victims are afraid of revealing the incident more thanoffenders. They can’t accuse offenders and even accuse themselves. Therefore, most sexual violence isunreported and the problem of sexual violence does not attract public attention. The pain which is caused
after the victimization can be worse.
Regardless of age, occupation gender and religion, every victim should have the right to have their harm
recognized and respected and provided every means to overcome the incident.
The following are the rights acknowledged to the victim of sexual crime:
1. Rights during the process of investigation and trial• Right to be acknowledged as a victim and treated regardless of their occupation, age, previous
experience and the situation on the day of the incident.
• Right to be asked questions relating to the incident.
• Right to have no questions asked about previous sexual experiences.
• Right to be protected and not have their identity revealed.
• Right to request personal safety measures.
• Rights to be with their own family, lawyer and counsellor and right to tell their story in a comfortableenvironment.
2. Rights in the procedure of medical treatment• Right to be treated carefully during the process of medical examination.
• Right to see medical staff who have knowledge of sexual injury/assault.
• In every process, they have the right to have things explained in a simple way.
• Right to be with friends, family and counsellors in the surgery.
• Right to request evidence related to the sexual injury and receive a medical certificate.
3. Rights in the media reporting process and protection measures• Right to be protected without exposure of their identity in the report.
• Right to avoid infringement of their personality and privacy.
• Prior to interview, they have the right to be given a full explanation about predictable secondary
damage.
• Right to be shown that they are able to overcome their damage in the reporting process.
• Right to be acknowledged as an independent identity without subjection or distortion by an image ormatters which are not related to the incident• Right to comply with the interview/not comply.

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B. Victim Protection - Korea Sexual Violence Relief Centre (KSVRC)
The Korea Sexual Violence Relief Centre (KSVRC), which was established in April 1991 by women who
aimed to create a society free from sexual violence, is the first specialised centre to provide counselling
services to victims of sexual violence. In addition to counselling services, KSVRC provides the generalpublic with not only various counselling services, but also sexual violence prevention education with the
public. It also promotes public policy on sexual violence issues. KSVRC ultimately aims to create a genderequal and alternative culture on sexuality.
1. Victim Support(i) Counselling
KSVRC provides comprehensive psychological, legal, and medical assistance to help sexual violence
survivors overcome their injuries and enjoy their lives.

(ii) Legal & medical assistance
KSVRC provides free legal counselling services with the support of volunteer lawyers. They also provide
direct legal assistance when clients want to file a legal charge. Related assistance is also given by a numberof psychiatrists, obstetricians and gynaecologists.
(iii) Shelters for sexual violence survivors‘Yulimtuh’ is a space for sexual violence survivors to help them heal from psychological and physicalinjuries and enjoy their new independent lives. ‘Ha-dam’ is a space where survivors of sexual violence, over
18, can receive support for their efforts to create their own independent lives.
2. Other Activities(i) Public education
KSVRC provides both experts and the public with education to prevent sexual violence and to create agender-equal society.

(ii) Media monitoring & cyber activities
KSVRC provides information on gender-equal culture on sexuality via the Internet and leads movements
to eliminate cyber sexual violence. It monitors the mass media to prevent secondary victimization of sexual
violence survivors by the mass media.
(iii) Anti-sexual violence movement with men
This movement organizes various cultural activities to eliminate sexual violence and promote gender
equity with our male supporters.
(iv) Citizen surveillance of the investigation and trial processes of sexual violence cases
The ‘Citizen surveillance of the investigation and trial processes of sexual violence cases’ was organizedin 2004 to improve and alert the public about habitual problems in the justice system. It has been working
hard to address secondary victimization problems, which sexual violence survivors face repeatedly during
the investigation and trial processes.

V. TREATMENT PROGRAMMES FOR SEXUAL OFFENDERS IN KOREA
In the Korean correctional system, a stand-alone treatment programme for sex offenders is in its infancy.
It is exercised as a part of various community orders.

A. Community-based Treatment Programme
1. Attendance Centre Order
An Attendance Centre Order is a court order given to a criminal who was engaged in habitual behaviours
that are regarded as crime. Those who receive the order must attend lectures at their Probation & Parole
Office or other organizations designated by the Probation & Parole Office for a certain period of time, whileleading a free life, instead of being accommodated in prison. It is aimed to enhance a law-abiding spirit in theoffenders, to make them understand the harm caused by sexual violence, to foster their physical and mental
health, and eventually to foster adaptability to society in general.

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Figure 1: Procedural Map for an Attendance Centre Order
Report and Receive Application

Orientation Education

Receive Judgement Decision
Execution of Attendance Centre Order

Expiration of Attendance Centre Order・Separate execution between juveniles/adults
・Decision on in-house or consignment education
・Issuance of execution order sheets

Completion of Community Service Order・Collect opinion sheets・Confirmation on probation(i) For adults
Attendance order programmes carried out by the Seoul Probation Office last at least five hours and up to
six weeks. The purpose of the programme is to make offenders understand and find out about theirproblems, to practice social skills and to foster a proper understanding about sex.
By looking at assessment and evaluation programmes in terms of adult sexual offenders so far, theprogramme really seemed to assist them in understanding about themselves and victims. Individuals who
require extra help can ask for special counselling.

(ii) For juveniles
Seoul Probation Centre is responsible for carrying out the Attendance Centre Order programmes forjuveniles. The programme is based on “cognitive behavioural therapy”. A group will be formed based on an
accurate assessment. The programme is divided into three phases: a six hour programme before
assessment; 30 hours programme during processing and a four hours programme for after care.
Each element should be supplemented by personal counselling.
2. Community Service Order
A Community Service Order is an order in which an offender found guilty engages in unpaid labour
services in society for a certain period of time while leading a free life, instead of being incarcerated inprison.
While allowing an opportunity to make up for the damage that was inflicted upon society as well as anopportunity to show repentance, this order aims to cultivate labour spirits and recover self-esteem in theoffender; thus, help them to return to society as a healthy person.

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Figure 2: Procedural Map for Community Service Order
Report and Receive Application

Orientation Education

Receive Written Judgement/Decision

Execution of Community Service Order・Separate execution between juveniles/adults
・Selection & alloction of the service providers
in consideration of their residence & occupation
・Personal delivery of execution order sheets

Completion of Community Service Order・Collect opinion sheets・Confirmation on probation

B. Institutional Treatment Programme
The primary purposes of the institutional treatment programme are to increase the offender’s motivation
to avoid re-offending and to develop the self-management skills necessary to achieve this.
1. Treatment Programme for Adult Inmates
Suwon Detention Centre has been carrying out cognitive behavioural therapy for sexual offenders since
March of 2006. Currently, five inmates participate in the programme.

Figure 3: Treatment Process of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Meditation and relax

Consideration ofsexual violence committed

Examining motive andthe measures

Sharing the feedback

The programme is divided into four stages as Figure 3 shows. In the first stage mediation and relaxation
is provided for inmates. In the second stage, offenders need to consider their own sexual crimes. In the third
stage, they have an opportunity to examine and face why they committed such a crime(s). Also, they need toconsider what kind of measures they can take to counter their desire to commit such a crime again. In thelast stage they have an opportunity to share their experience with others and receive feedback.
Generally, most of the participants were satisfied with the programme, but some were afraid that thecontents of their offences were made known to the fellow participants around them.
2. Treatment Programme for Juveniles
Seoul juvenile training school carried out a cognitive behavioural therapy programme for juvenile sex
offenders. The contents are the same as the one provided at Suwon Detention Centre.

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VI. CONCLUSION: TOWARD AN INTEGRATED STRATEGYOF PREVENTION OF SEXUAL OFFENCES
A. Improvement of Public Disclosure System
A question was raised about the constitutionality of the public disclosure system of the sex offender
profile. On 26 June 2003, the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that the sex offender disclosure scheme
stipulated by the Protection for the Youth Sex Act is constitutional. But some constitutional judges did notagree with the majority opinion and posed a question on the possibility of dual punishment. So the professorsof criminal law and practitioners are expected to study and devise a better system which addresses thehuman rights of offenders.
B. Activating NGOs and Support
NGOs are playing a significant role in preventing sexual offences. Therefore, we need to establish a more
effective support system for such NGOs.
C. Consideration of an Electronic Monitoring System (E.M.S)
In Korea, consideration is being made to realize the usage of an Electronic Monitoring System (E.M.S)
such as by using electronic rings on offenders. However, it may cause both positive and negative effects on
the current criminal justice administration. We need to study E.M.S more carefully and find out ways tominimize its negative effects.
D. Establishment of a Gene BankA Gene Bank can maintain a database of sex offender’s genetic resources. In Korea, sooner or later, it willbe established. We need to prepare for it.
E. New Legislation against Cyber-Sexual Violence
As explained in the previous sections, a considerable amount of victimization is reported concerning thesexual violence committed in cyber space. In the age of information technology, new laws to regulate cybersexual violence may be also be required.
F. Comprehensive Treatment Programme
Most treatment programmes for sex offenders in Korea are done by attendance order. The programme isintended to change the sex offenders’ mind through cognitive behavioural therapy. It tries to correct thecognitive distortion of the offenders and thereby tries to correct their behaviour. However, such orders arestill not effective in preventing sex offences.
Programmes for sex offenders in Korea are not streamlined. It is really hard to retain the attendance ofthe offender because participation in the programme is voluntary. We need to consider compulsory
participation in the programmes for sex offenders and more effective ways of operating such programmes.
Establishing a connection between a programme that the offender can receive during his incarceration and a
programme after release is also important.

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