Cold Case Sex Offender Apprehended 15 Years Later

The perpetrator of a sex offense case that occurred in Ulsan 15 years ago has been apprehended after 15 years, matching DNA information obtained after his arrest for another incident. This case is noteworthy as the investigation into the long-unsolved crime found a lead through DNA analysis, a form of scientific evidence.

In November 2009, 15 years ago, Mr. A broke into a home in Nam-gu, Ulsan, threatened a woman he had never met with a weapon, sexually assaulted her, and fled. At the time, police collected male DNA from the victim's underwear and registered it in the identification database. However, due to the limitations of scientific investigation, the perpetrator could not be identified, and the case remained unsolved. The crucial turning point came last year when Mr. A was arrested as a suspect in a separate assault case. Police compared the DNA collected from Mr. A with the DNA secured from the 15-year-old case and confirmed a match, leading to his arrest. The Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office, Criminal Division 2, indicted Mr. A without detention on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (Special Rape). The court, however, denied the arrest warrant for Mr. A, citing no flight risk.

Mr. B, a man in his 40s who sexually assaulted a woman on an apartment fire escape in Seoul 17 years ago, in June 2009, and fled, was sentenced to five years in prison following a DNA comparison in another sex offense case. The Incheon District Court cited the defendant's extremely poor criminal intent and the victim's prolonged significant mental distress and fear, but also considered his admission of guilt, remorse, and a deposit of 30 million won to the victim as mitigating factors for the five-year sentence. Mr. B was indicted without detention at the time of his trial last year, with no flight risk cited.

Numerous long-term unsolved sex offense cases have been resolved through DNA comparison analysis. Through the establishment of DNA databases, the identities of over 6,500 individuals involved in unsolved crimes, including murder and sex offenses, were confirmed by 2022. The database contains DNA of individuals with finalized sentences for 11 crime categories with a high risk of recidivism, such as murder and sex offenses.

According to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, the statute of limitations for rape is 10 years, and for rape resulting in injury, it is 15 years. However, under a law enacted in April 2010, for cases of rape, sexual assault, rape resulting in injury/disability, and rape resulting in murder/death, the statute of limitations can be extended by an additional 10 years if scientific evidence proving the crime exists. For victims under 13 years of age or those with disabilities, the statute of limitations for sexual offenses is abolished. These provisions also apply to sex crimes that occurred before the law's enactment.