South Korea to chemically castrate repeat child rapist

South Korea will chemically castrate a repeat sex offender who raped children in the country's first use of a recently implemented law.

The Justice Ministry's Forensic Psychiatry Deliberation Committee had unanimously adopted the measure after concluding that the rapist, known by the surname Park, already determined a pedophile, was highly likely to prey on children again, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Park, 44, was due to be released from prison in July after serving a 10-year sentence for the attempted rape of a 10-year-old girl.

According to the ministry, he molested and raped four girls age 9 to 10 between 1984 and 2002. He had been frequently in and out of prison in that time, and in 1991 kidnapped and repeatedly raped a 9-year-old girl over four days.

Chemical castration, already in use in Germany, Sweden, and some US states, prescribes hormone suppressants to suppress the libido of serial rapists by reducing the production of male testosterone.

Here's a video from BBC explaining South Korea's decision to chemically castrate pedophiles:

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CNN quoted a Justice Ministry official as saying Wednesday that: "Sex offenders over the age of 19, who have sexually offended against children under the age of 16 and are diagnosed with pedophilia, can be subject to such treatment." 

The law authorizing chemical castration for sex offenders came into effect in 2011 following a public outcry over a number of cases where rapists reoffended.

"There was growing demand for strengthened measures against pedophiles who are likely to repeat their actions," the official said.

According to Agence France-Presse, Park will be given an injection every three months for the next three years to reduce his sexual urges. 

He will also wear an electronic anklet.

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