Cho Doo-soon damaged home monitoring device; probation found out six days later
In short
Cho Doo-soon, a convicted child sex offender, damaged the antenna of the electronic monitoring device at his home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on June 3, 2025, and the Justice Ministry's probation office found out six days later, according to reports on October 7. A court found he acted on a delusion that the antenna was sending radio waves into his brain. In June, Suwon High Court upheld his first-instance sentence of eight months in prison with medical treatment and custody.
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Cho Doo-soon damaged the electronic monitoring device installed at his home, and the Justice Ministry's probation office learned of it only six days later, according to reports on October 7. The Chosun Ilbo, which first reported the case, said the office found out six days after the damage occurred, and Yonhap reported the same finding. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to the indictment and verdict that Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah obtained from the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Court, Cho damaged the external antenna of the home monitoring device in the main room of his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, at about 11:28 a.m. on June 3, 2025. Yonhap reported that the verdict found he broke the device while holding a delusion that “the antenna is sending radio waves into my brain.” Korea Economic Daily's headline also cited that delusion. [ 2 , 4 ]
The device's LTE signal strength fell sharply after the damage, but the probation officer confirmed the destruction only on June 9, while monitoring inside the residence, according to Yonhap. Yonhap reported six electronic-device-related offenses between March and June 2025: four violations of an outing restriction and two instances of destroying the home monitoring device. In May 2025 he damaged the device cover, but the attempt failed because the device kept working normally. The Chosun Ilbo said Cho repeated violations after being indicted over the damage, including cutting the device's power and breaching a restriction on going out during school hours. [ 1 , 2 ]
Suwon High Court Criminal Division 1, presided over by judge Shin Hyun-il, dismissed appeals by both the prosecution and the defendant in June, upholding the original ruling, Yonhap reported. The first-instance court had sentenced Cho to eight months in prison and medical treatment and custody. [ 2 ]
The details came from documents a lawmaker obtained from the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Court. The outlets framed the story differently: Chosun Ilbo led with the six-day delay and the repeated violations, Yonhap with the procedural record and the court's ruling, while Seoul Shinmun and Korea Economic Daily headlined the delusion, and Korea Economic Daily's article text was largely a list of links to other articles about him. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The reports put a spotlight on how closely South Korea's electronic monitoring system tracks high-risk offenders and how quickly violations are detected, describing a six-day gap even though the device's communication signal fell sharply. The underlying indictment and verdict were obtained by a lawmaker from the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Court, which the coverage presents as scrutiny of the ministry's supervision.
Key facts
- Cho Doo-soon damaged the external antenna of the home monitoring device in his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, at about 11:28 a.m. on June 3, 2025, according to the indictment and verdict. [ 2 ]
- The Justice Ministry's probation office learned of the damage six days later, on June 9, 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The verdict said Cho broke the device while holding a delusion that the antenna was sending radio waves into his brain. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Between March and June 2025, six electronic-device-related offenses were counted: four outing-restriction violations and two instances of destroying the home monitoring device. [ 2 ]
- In May 2025 he damaged the device cover, but the attempt failed because the device kept working normally. [ 2 ]
- Suwon High Court Criminal Division 1 dismissed appeals by both the prosecution and the defendant in June, upholding a first-instance sentence of eight months in prison with medical treatment and custody. [ 2 ]
- The Chosun Ilbo reported that Cho repeated violations after being indicted over the damage, including cutting the device's power and breaching an outing restriction during school hours. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cho Doo-soon damaged a device installed for his electronic monitoring, and the Justice Ministry's probation office discovered it six days later. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- According to the indictment and verdict, the damage occurred at about 11:28 a.m. on June 3, 2025, at his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. [ 2 ]
- A verdict cited in the reports says Cho acted on a delusion that the antenna was shooting radio waves into his brain. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Suwon High Court Criminal Division 1 dismissed both appeals in June and upheld a first-instance sentence of eight months in prison with medical treatment and custody. [ 2 ]
- Six electronic-device-related offenses were recorded between March and June 2025, four of them outing-restriction violations and two destruction of the home monitoring device. [ 2 ]
Still unclear
- Why the probation office took six days to notice the damage, and whether anyone faced consequences for the delay. The documents describe the gap and the drop in the device's LTE signal but give no explanation of the delay or any disciplinary outcome.
- Cho's current custody status and any further proceedings after the appeals ruling. The documents state the appeals outcome but do not say whether he is in custody or facing additional cases.
- A passage in the Korea Economic Daily article text referring to prosecutors seeking a two-year sentence and to night-time outing violations. That outlet's article text reads as a list of related-article headlines, so the documents do not establish whether the reference concerns this case or a separate proceeding.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- June 3, 2025: Cho Doo-soon damaged the external antenna of the home monitoring device installed in the main room of his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, according to the indictment and verdict. [ 2 ]
- June 9, 2025: A probation officer confirmed the damage while monitoring inside the residence, six days after the device's LTE signal strength dropped sharply. [ 2 ]
- May 2025: Cho damaged the device cover, but the attempt failed because the device continued to work normally. [ 2 ]
- March to June 2025: Six electronic-device-related offenses are recorded — four outing restriction violations and two instances of destroying the home monitoring device. [ 2 ]
- June 2026: Suwon High Court Criminal Division 1 dismissed appeals by the prosecution and the defendant, upholding a first-instance sentence of eight months in prison with medical treatment and custody. [ 2 ]
- October 7, 2026: The Chosun Ilbo reports that the Justice Ministry's probation office learned of the damage six days later. [ 1 ]
- October 7, 2026: Yonhap publishes details from the indictment and verdict obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah. [ 2 ]