A local court issued on Sunday an arrest warrant for a 23-year-old man suspected of kidnapping and raping a seven-year-old girl in the latest sex crime that has shocked South Korea.

The Gwangju District Court said it issued the warrant to detain the suspect, identified only by his surname Ko, for allegedly abducting the sleeping girl from her home and brutally raping her in Naju, 350 kilometers south of Seoul.

"The arrest warrant was issued, given the gravity of the case and fear of the suspect's escape," the court said.

In South Korea, police are required to ask prosecutors to seek a court-issued warrant to formally arrest a suspect.

The brutality of the case has shocked the nation, which has seen similar rape cases increase in recent weeks.

"I'm sorry for her family. I want to die," a handcuffed Ko told reporters before moving to a courtroom.

The suspect earlier confessed that he committed the crime under the influence of alcohol. Ko, who has no previous convictions for sexual offenses but frequently watched child pornography, was an acquaintance of the victim's family members.

President Lee Myung-bak apologized Friday for the government's failure to prevent the brutal kidnapping and rape of the primary school girl, vowing to strengthen policing as the top priority of state affairs. (Yonhap News)