Considering the alarming level of sex offenses in Korea this is a great idea to hopefully decrease the amount of sex crimes being committed:
Sex offenders in South Korea will be fitted with locally developed tracking devices around their ankles starting next week, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.
The tracking system, the world’s smallest and Korea’s first-ever for sex criminals, alerts monitoring officials when offenders enter banned zones or violate their curfew, it said.
Developed by Samsung SDS, the gadget is 4 cm wide, 9 cm long and 2.5 cm thick, making it considerably smaller than the device that is most commonly used in the United States and worldwide. That device is 15 cm wide, 8 cm long and 4 cm thick, ministry officials said.
“We expect the tracking system will thoroughly prevent repetitive crimes and curb sexual violence,” Park Ki-joon, a crime prevention director at the ministry, said in a statement.
The country last year established a law to put the monitoring on those convicted twice for sex crimes or who have assaulted children under the age of 13, following the grisly murder of an 11-year-old girl who was raped, killed and burned by a neighbor in 2006. [Yonhap]
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2:15 am on September 2nd, 2008 1
But will the police bother to act?
3:39 am on September 2nd, 2008 2
I have become too jaded with Korea. This is nothing but a “toy” — which they are bragging about it being the smallest in the world.
In the mixed neighborhoods does this really work? This is not the states. The schools are next door to bar rows and hookers have now moved into the office-tels and residential areas. What do they expect to solve with this device in Korea’s mixed neighborhoods.
Besides, I am very irate as a 15 year old was just raped at Shinjang Mall yesterday in the restroom — located at the rear of the Mall. The police have a description, but the Korean perp got away. It’s going to take more than trinkets to solve Korea’s sexual predator problems.
10:12 am on September 2nd, 2008 3
Like I said, I don’t see much reason to believe that these devices do anything useful and may really be counterproductive.
http://koreabeat.com/?p=1768
1:16 pm on September 2nd, 2008 4
Its not where the perps are, its the lack of a responsive and equal justice system.
8:14 pm on September 2nd, 2008 5
I agree the devices are not going to make a big difference but it will at least be a small improvement in combating sex crimes.
These devices could be used to track if pedophiles are hanging around schools or violating restraining orders to stay away from specific children.