[26.01.28] Cho Doo-soon Sentenced to Prison Again for Curfew Violations

Cho Doo-soon Re-Arrested Again for “Unauthorized Absence”… Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison and Ordered Treatment Confinement

📍Repeated violations of curfew and damage to electronic monitoring device… Court says “High risk of reoffending”

Cho Doo-soon (72), a convicted child sex offender, has been taken back into custody after violating court-imposed curfew restrictions multiple times. The court sentenced him to eight months in prison and ordered treatment confinement, stressing the risk of repeat offenses.

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🔹 Violations of Curfew Restrictions and Damage to Electronic Monitoring Device
According to legal sources on the 28th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Ahn Hyo-seung) sentenced Cho Doo-soon, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Attachment of Electronic Monitoring Devices, to eight months in prison and ordered treatment confinement. 

Cho was brought to trial on charges of repeatedly leaving his residence, a multi-family house located in Wadong, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, from late March to early June last year, in violation of a “restriction on going out during school commuting hours.” 

He is also accused of damaging the location-tracking electronic monitoring device installed at his residence.

🔹 Court: “The System Exists to Protect the Public… Violations Cannot Be Taken Lightly”
The court stated, “The obligation to comply with conditions under the electronic monitoring system exists to protect the public from crime, and violations of these conditions cannot be regarded lightly,” adding, “Even if the defendant was found between the second and third floors of the building, it still constitutes a violation of the law in light of the legislative purpose of electronic monitoring.” 

The court further pointed out, “The defendant left his residence on five occasions and damaged the electronic device, and committed the offenses repeatedly despite fully knowing that he must not violate the imposed conditions.” 

🔹 Diminished Responsibility Considered, Sentence Reduced from Prosecutors’ Request
However, the court took into account mitigating factors, including that Cho committed the offenses while in a state of diminished mental capacity, and that he left his residence only briefly before being returned by police or probation officers.

Based on these considerations, the court sentenced him to eight months in prison, instead of the two-year sentence requested by prosecutors. 

Nevertheless, the court accepted the prosecution’s request for treatment confinement, stating, “Given the defendant’s age, character, and mental illness, his ability to distinguish matters is weakened, and there is a risk of reoffending if he does not receive appropriate treatment.” 

🔹 Repeated Violations Even After Release from Prison
In December 2008, Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison for abducting and sexually assaulting an elementary school girl in front of a church in Ansan, causing serious injuries.

After his release on December 12, 2020, the court ordered him to refrain from going out at night (from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day).

However, on December 4, 2023, at around 9:05 p.m., Cho violated the order by going out, for which he was sentenced to an additional three months in prison.

Following his release, he was also subjected to additional restrictions prohibiting him from going out during school commuting hours—7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.—as well as during nighttime hours from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.

One-line summary : Child sex offender Cho Doo-soon was re-incarcerated and sentenced to eight months in prison along with mandatory treatment for repeated curfew violations.