A shocking case of child rape has driven the nation into a fury ever since it was revealed by a television documentary program on Sept . 22 . The anonymous 8 - year - old primary school student called by the alias Na - young was on her way to school in Ansan south of Seoul last December when a drunken man surnamed Cho took her to a nearby church bathroom . As the child resisted , the 57 - year - old abuser beat her and strangled her . He also repeatedly submerged her in the toilet until she lost consciousness . During the following hour , Cho not only sexually assaulted Na - young several times but also caused a rupture in her intestines by attempting to remove his semen . The aggressor then left the unconscious victim on the floor to flee to his home but was caught within hours , having left biological evidence all over on the scene and on himself . Na - young , found near death by her parents , was taken to a hospital but was permanently deprived of her normal sexual functions despite an eight - hour surgery . She was also forced to have an artificial sack to replace her missing organs . Cho , who was sentenced to a 12 - year jail term in the two lower courts , appealed for a commutation but the Supreme Court last month confirmed his term by upholding the high court ` s ruling . Cho , when released from jail , is to wear a traceable electronic anklet for seven years and have his personal information open for public reference for five years , said court officials . Cho was a repeat offender , having been sentenced back in 1983 to three years in jail for rape and also to seven years and four months for non - sexual charges such as the use of violence . He was under no restriction or supervision , despite his past crimes . Citizens have raged over the brutality of the crime and what seemed too light a sentence . In a major online portal , tens of thousands of netizens joined a campaign to censure the aggressor and demand that he receive a heavier punishment . Some even requested that Cho be retried in court , blaming the court for being lenient , especially as the ruling judged him to be under the influence of alcohol . Others criticized the prosecution for assenting to the court ruling and not making an appeal . Under criminal procedure law , a higher court may not issue a heavier sentence than the lower court unless the prosecutor appeals . As the crime was widely publicized in the media and public fury sharply soared , experts , lawmakers and high - ranking government officials also spoke out . " Though it may be controversial to raise any objection to the court ` s legal judgment , I nevertheless feel wretched as president that such a crime should have occurred , " said President Lee Myung - bak during a Cabinet meeting last Thursday . " I feel it appropriate that such grave felons should be separated from society for the rest of their lives . " The president also urged the Gender Equality Ministry , the Justice Ministry and other government offices to work together to produce a total plan to prevent such inhumane crimes . The Justice Ministry closely followed the president ` s statement in vowing to ensure that Cho serve his maximum sentence . The ministry also declared that it would make a proposal to the Supreme Court to raise the minimum criminal sentence for those who sexually abuse children , according to officials . The National Assembly also swarmed over the related discussion . Ahn Sang - soo , floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party suggested that the present criminal law , which limits the maximum jail sentence of sexual crimes crimes , should be revised . Some lawmakers requested that the introduction of chemical castration and others demanded that the genetic database , especially on sexual abusers against children , be widely expanded . Some U . S . states and several European countries , including Poland and the Czech Republic , have adopted or are planning to adopt physical or chemical castration sentences on repeated sexual offenders against children . However , the official stance of the court and the prosecution is that the confirmed sentence , though it may not conform with society ` s legal common sense , was the best that could be done . " We felt it futile to appeal as 12 years was close to a maximum sentence , as the law states 15 years as the maximum possible terminable sentence to be given on a single crime , " said a spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutor ` s Office . The chief justice also spoke out on the issue . " It is inappropriate to argue the final ruling handed down by the court , " said Chief Justice Lee Yong - hoon yesterday in an interview with a local newspaper . " The judicature should not be swayed by public opinion , or it will lose its credibility . " He emphasized that the issue was to be dealt with in a long - term perspective and that it required further in - depth social discussion . " Upon this ( Na - young ) case , we have come to realize the possiblegap between the criminal punishment as stated by the law and the legal common sense of the general public , " he said . Despite the ongoing discussions and campaigns , it is generally accepted that there is little that can be done to further punish Cho . A large part of the distressed public and the legal circles thus turned to question the justice of the present legal systems . The number of sexual abuse victims under the age of 6 has exceeded 150 every year since 2006 , according to the National Police Agency . Among the 5 , 948 suspects who were investigated on charges of sexual abuses against children from January 2007 to July this year , 2 , 501 or were not prosecuted , according to the Justice Ministry data . Even among those who were prosecuted , only 0 . 4 percent were handed down a life sentence whereas more than 42 percent were fined and 30 . 5 percent received a suspended term , according to the Health Ministry data . " Not only could the prosecutor and the court have attempted further to hand down a heavier punishment on the sexual abuser , our legal system itself needs fundamental revision regarding the issue , " said Cho Kuk , criminal law professor at Seoul National University and member of the Supreme Court committee on criminal punishment guidelines . ( tellme @ heraldm . com ) By Bae Hyun - jung