S Korea's parliament passes tougher bill on sex crimes against disabled, children

The National Assembly on Friday passed a revised bill that abolishes the statue of limitations for sex crimes against the disabled and minors in the face of growing public demand for stronger punishments for offenders who prey on the most vulnerable. The so-called "Dogani" bill, named after the title of a local box-office hit based on a real-life story, mandates a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those convicted of sexually assaulting the disabled or children under age 13. The current penalties for the sex offenders are up to seven and 10 years for each respective group. The revision came after the movie "Dogani", or "The Crucible" in English, provoked an outburst of public anger. The film is based on the true story of serial rapes of hearing-impaired students by faculty members at a special education institution in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. The crimes took place over five years since 2000. The revised bill also demands workers of care facilities for disabled people receive heavier punishments than other sex offenders when they commit sex crimes against the disabled.