Ruling party plans to strengthen laws against criminals seeking revenge

The attacker in the infamous "spin-kick case" leaves the Busan High Court in Busan, June 12, after the verdict. His face in this image is blurred under a law that protects the human rights of criminals. The ruling People Power Party said Friday that it is seeking to bolster legal measures to better protect victims. Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The government and the ruling People Power Party plan to bolster laws and other rules against revenge-seeking criminals after the so-called “spin-kick case” that shocked the nation recently.

Rep. Park Dae-chul, the party's chief policymaker, held a meeting with high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Justice, Friday, to come up with new measures to better protect victims of crimes, especially women who suffered from sexual assault.

The move came after the Busan High Court sentenced the infamous spin-kick attacker, in his early 30s, surnamed Lee, to 20 years in prison earlier this week for inflicting permanent nerve damage on a stranger with a roundhouse kick and attempting to rape her in the southern port city on May 22, 2022. His inmates later told the media that Lee said he would kill her when he is released from prison.

Speaking to reporters, Park said the party has been preparing to revise the law that bans the release of alleged offenders' personal information once their cases are brought to the court. Currently, identity disclosures are allowed only when the evidence appears strong, against high-profile violent crime offenders during an investigation process. Once indicted, they can hide themselves behind legal protections.

That law, which applies to only a fraction of such offenders, has come under criticism for overprotecting the human rights of criminals at the expense of innocent victims.

Park also said the law must be strengthened to deal with criminals seeking revenge, given that it is difficult to prosecute such people unless they threaten the victims directly.

“Many women are expressing fears [after the spin-kick case],” Park said. “I agree that the measures of identity disclosure should be expanded.”

During a meeting with his senior secretaries on June 12, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for stronger measures against violent criminals who target women, telling them to come up with ways to expand the measures to allow the disclosure of assailants' identities.