Over 200 registered sex offenders share homes, government data shows

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Over 200 convicted sex offenders live with another offender under the same roof in South Korea, government data showed, sparking public safety concerns about their potential risk of reoffending.

According to data from the South Korean government’s sex offender registration database, 222 convicted sex offenders are living together at 90 locations nationwide, averaging nearly 2.5 offenders per residence. The information was disclosed in a press release by Rep. Lee Hyoung-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea on Friday.

South Korea has a publicly accessible sex offender online database, managed by the Justice Ministry and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family since 2010. It lists personal and criminal information of convicted sex offenders for up to 10 years, available to all South Korean citizens with proper ID. Users can identify the actual home addresses of registered offenders on an interactive map.

The number of registered sex offenders living together raises alarms given that sexual violence can involve the cooperation of multiple individuals. According to Justice Ministry data, South Korea recorded 5,525 instances of sexual assault involving multiple perpetrators from 2016 to 2022, making up 3.7 percent of all sexual violence cases during that period.

As offenders can negatively influence each other while residing together, the government should beef up oversight efforts, Rep. Lee said in a press release.

By Moon Ki Hoon(kihoon96@heraldcorp.com)