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Social controversies over juvenile crimes are intensifying.
The Ministry of Justice has announced that it will push for amendments to the law to lower the age of criminal minors by one year.
He added that he would also promote measures to prevent recurrence of juvenile crimes.
Reporter Park Chan-geun reports.
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The Ministry of Justice announced today that it has decided to lower the standard age for criminal punishment by one year from under 14 to under 13.
[Han Dong-hoon/Minister of Justice: Due to cases where the law enforcement juvenile system was actively abused for crimes, there were even cases where they took a law enforcement boy and made him commit a crime.
Public opinion that the age standard should be realized has increased.]
The Ministry of Justice said that this is because the number of juvenile crimes under the law is increasing every year.
The number of juvenile crimes committed by law enforcement officers increased from 7,897 in 2017 to 12,502 by 2021.
In addition, as the social environment has changed, since the 2000s, the age of majority has decreased from 20 to 19, and the age to be elected and the right to vote has also decreased.
A juvenile by law means a criminal minor between the ages of 10 and 14.
At this age, juveniles cannot be criminally punished and are protected by the Juvenile Act if they commit a crime.
Regarding concerns from some that it could mass-produce minors, the Ministry of Justice explained that even if the age of juveniles was lowered, most juvenile offenders will be sent to the juvenile department as before, and it is expected that criminal punishment will be imposed only in very exceptional cases, such as planned murderers or heinous criminals. .
The Ministry of Justice is also planning to take measures to prevent recurrence of juvenile crimes, such as increasing the number of dedicated juvenile probation officers and thoroughly separating adult and juvenile offenders in the detention center.