Seoul: The government is contemplating a reduction in the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 13 years old. This decision will follow further opinion-gathering, as stated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, children under 14 currently cannot be held criminally responsible in South Korea, with offenses leading to community service or youth correction institution referrals. However, increasing crimes by young teenagers have led to discussions about lowering the age threshold. In February, President Lee Jae Myung asked the government to collect public opinions on this issue.
The ministry's report to the Cabinet suggests revising the criminal minority age range to "10 years old or older and under 13 years old" for violent, serious, or repetitive crimes. The ministry backed its proposal with results from various public opinion polls.
In one poll, 78 percent of 199 adults and 67 percent of 43 youths supported lowering the criminal age limit. Additionally, a separate survey of 212 citizens involved in the public deliberation process showed 46.7 percent support for conditionally lowering the age threshold, a 0.9 percentage point increase since deliberations began.
The survey also revealed a decline in support for uniformly lowering the age limit from 37.3 percent to 30.2 percent, while support for maintaining the current age threshold increased from 5.7 percent to 17 percent. The majority, 55.8 percent, favored reducing the age limit by one year.
Currently, juveniles under 14 can face detention at a youth correction institution for up to two years, while those aged 14 to 19 convicted of a crime can receive up to 15 years in prison. The ministry also proposed a new government-wide response system to tackle juvenile delinquency and crimes.