The injection on Friday will lower testosterone-producing hormones and aims to inhibit sexual impulses, Justice Ministry officials said on condition of anonymity citing department rules.
In 2010, South Korea passed a law allowing judges or a Justice Ministry panel the option of ordering chemical castration after a series of violent sexual assaults on children sparked public outrage.
The man has been convicted four times between 1984 and 2002 of raping and sexually molesting girls under the ages of 13. He will be released from prison in July and will have to take the injections every three months for three years.
Already, Britain, Denmark and Sweden offer chemical castration drugs to sex offenders on a voluntary basis. In the United States, several states have laws allowing chemical castration.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com