The Supreme Court sentenced rapist Cho Doo-soon to 12 years in prison for brutally sexual violence against an 8-year-old elementary school girl in Danwon District, Ansan City, South Korea in December 2008, causing her lifelong disability. The verdict caused a strong reaction in the community, and the public accused the sentence of being too lenient, which eventually led Congress to raise the sentencing standard for child sexual assault crimes. The incident of Jo Doo-soon, who committed sexual violence to an 8-year-old elementary school girl, has caused an uproar in the Korean legal community. The first instance sentenced Zhao Douchun to 12 years in prison, but at the same time, because Zhao Douchun was physically and mentally weak due to drunkenness, the punishment was reduced, and the Korean people criticized the court. When the courts and procuratorates conduct national affairs supervision, South Korean parliamentarians also investigate the problems existing in the court and procuratorate's handling of the incident. Since then, the courts have begun to formulate improvement plans for the trial of sexual crime cases, and have discussed strengthening the sentencing standards for sexual crimes against children. The procuratorate even convened a procuratorial committee to decide to admonish the chief prosecutor of the matters that should be paid attention to in the process of investigation and prosecution. However, the Korean Bar Association decided to investigate the facts and represent the victim to file a compensation lawsuit against the state, which further continued the controversy over the incident. The Korean Ministry of Justice proposed that the statute of limitations for sexual violence crimes against children will continue until the child victim becomes an adult, and plans to amend relevant laws to expand the maximum sentence for sexual violence crimes and other countermeasures.
View more about Hope reviews
