Court hands down Korea`s 1st chemical castration ruling

A Korean court on Thursday ordered the country`s first chemical castration of a convicted sex offender since a law on medical treatment for the sex drive of such criminals implemented in July 2011.

The Seoul Southern District Court sentenced a 31-year-old defendant to 15 years in prison, three years of medical treatment, 10 years of information disclosure, and 20 years of wearing an electronic monitoring anklet after he was convicted of raping five girls under age 16. He will be regularly injected with Lucrin, a medication that discourages sex drive, starting from two months before his release.

The man met the five victims in a smartphone chatting room in 2011, paid them for sex, and secretly videotaped them. He later threatened to release the videos on the Internet and was prosecuted for sexual violence in August last year.

“We found that the defendant cannot control his sex drive by himself given that he was sentenced to prison for sexual violence in the past and has the wrong perception of sex,” the court said, adding, “Medical therapy can help him suppress excessive sexual fantasies and impulses.”

This was the first time for prosecutors to ask for medical therapy to a court since the introduction of the new law. Six other cases in which prosecutors requested such therapy remain pending. From March, prosecutors can also request medical treatment for someone who commits a sexual offense against a woman of any age, not just a minor.

jaj@donga.com