The South Korean Cabinet Tuesday passed a bill allowing authorities to collect and store DNA samples of convicted felons for use in future investigations.
Law enforcement agencies will be authorized to collect DNA from individuals arrested for such crimes as murder, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping and extortion, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Crime labs will then develop profiles from the samples and enter them into the government's databank.
Suspects can have their DNA expunged from the database if they are found not guilty or if their convictions are reversed, officials said.
Under the bill, such heinous criminals as Cho Doo-soon who had been sentenced to 12 years in jail for raping an eight-year-old girl will have his DNA sample stored.
The Ministry of Justice expects to store DNA samples of nearly 30,000 convicted felons a year.
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