Electronic anklet system shows loopholes

Two years have passed since the traceable electronic anklet system was introduced but many convicted sex offenders have repeatedly been caught committing second offenses despite the device, hinting at a loophole in the watch system.

The Busan police last week apprehended a convicted offender who had cut off his electronic anklet and escaped the authorities’ surveillance.

The 27-year-old convict, surnamed Park, cut his anklet last Monday with a pair of scissors, left it in a public bathroom trash bin and fled from Busan but was caught Thursday near his girlfriend’s house in Daegu, said officials.

It was his second escape, having earlier broken free from the anklet in August shortly after he was released from prison. He had served a three-year jail term for raping a woman he met through online chatting.

Park attempted the escape to hide his criminal record from his girlfriend, officials said.