Home Minister Maeng Hyung-kyu said Thursday it would be worth considering chemical castration for child rapists, calling the sexual assault on children "similar in a way to a mental disease."
"I think it is worth pursuing chemical castration as a way of suppressing their sexual urges," Maeng said during a parliamentary session.
Paik Hee-young, minister of gender equality and family, also supported the notion, saying chemical castration is a kind of chemical treatment.
"We need to prevent sex crimes against children using all available means," Paik said. "Therefore, we need to adopt it if necessary."
Their remarks follow another brutal child rape case that has reopened the debate on whether to resort to the controversial use of hormonal medication of sex predators, with a proposed bill currently pending at the National Assembly.
A 44-year-old repeat sex offender last week raped an 8-year-old girl after kidnapping her from her classroom, causing public furor as it revealed loopholes in countermeasures recently enforced to combat repeated sexual assaults against minors.
A 10-year-old girl was left permanently scarred in another shocking case earlier this year after being raped by a drunken man.
Maeng said the measure should only be used in limited cases and introduced after careful examination by experts.
"There are many concerns over chemical castration," he said. "Because it is costly, there are issues about how to pay for it, and also what should be done if the offenders refuse to take the medication."//Yonhap
"I think it is worth pursuing chemical castration as a way of suppressing their sexual urges," Maeng said during a parliamentary session.
Paik Hee-young, minister of gender equality and family, also supported the notion, saying chemical castration is a kind of chemical treatment.
"We need to prevent sex crimes against children using all available means," Paik said. "Therefore, we need to adopt it if necessary."
Their remarks follow another brutal child rape case that has reopened the debate on whether to resort to the controversial use of hormonal medication of sex predators, with a proposed bill currently pending at the National Assembly.
A 44-year-old repeat sex offender last week raped an 8-year-old girl after kidnapping her from her classroom, causing public furor as it revealed loopholes in countermeasures recently enforced to combat repeated sexual assaults against minors.
A 10-year-old girl was left permanently scarred in another shocking case earlier this year after being raped by a drunken man.
Maeng said the measure should only be used in limited cases and introduced after careful examination by experts.
"There are many concerns over chemical castration," he said. "Because it is costly, there are issues about how to pay for it, and also what should be done if the offenders refuse to take the medication."//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com