The government has reportedly decided to pursue a "conditional lowering" of the age of criminal responsibility, specifically targeting serious crimes committed by juveniles.
It is understood that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Justice have reached a final consensus to lower the age of criminal liability exclusively for serious offenses, following discussions on improving the juvenile justice system.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to report this proposal at the Cabinet meeting, which is scheduled to be held as early as June 30.
This decision by the Ministry comes two months after a social dialogue committee finalized its recommendations in late April.
During a Cabinet meeting in February, President Lee Jae-myung raised the issue of the age of criminal responsibility, stating, "It appears that an overwhelming majority of the public believes the age should be lowered by at least one year." He instructed officials to discuss the matter and reach a decision within two months.
In response, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family operated a social dialogue committee for two months starting in March to facilitate public discourse on the issue of adjusting the age limit.
Although the committee voted in late April to recommend maintaining the current age range of "10 to under 14," the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family delayed reporting the findings to the Cabinet for over a month.
It appears the Ministry was deliberating on a compromise due to the significant gap between the committee's recommendation to maintain the current age and public opinion demanding a reduction.
In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea in March, which polled 1,002 adults nationwide, 81% of respondents expressed support for lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Ultimately, it is reported that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family settled on a conditional lowering as a middle ground between "maintaining the status quo" and "a blanket reduction," and discussed the improvement plan with the Ministry of Justice, the primary authority on the matter.
In particular, the recent Netflix drama "True Education," which depicts juveniles committing crimes such as unlicensed driving and property damage, is believed to have further fueled public demand for stricter punishment.
However, there are still significant hurdles to overcome before a conditional lowering of the age can be institutionalized, including defining the scope of "serious crimes" and conducting detailed legal reviews.
Reported by Kim Min-jung | Video by Choi Kang-san | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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