President Lee Says Age Threshold for 'Juvenile Offenders' Needs to Be Lowered

▲ President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the 14th.

President Lee Jae-myung stated that the age threshold for "juvenile offenders" (those exempt from criminal punishment) needs to be lowered.

As juvenile crimes have recently become more frequent and violent, there have been growing calls to lower the age of criminal responsibility, leading to ongoing public discussions on the matter.

During the 30th cabinet meeting presided over at the Blue House this morning (the 14th), after hearing a report from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family regarding the public discussion on the age threshold for criminal minors (juvenile offenders), President Lee said, "The issue is whether to lower the age threshold uniformly or not, and there seems to be little disagreement that it should be lowered," adding, "It does not seem right to maintain the current status."

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung reported at the meeting that, according to the government's public discussion results, the most common opinion was to lower the age threshold for juvenile offenders by one year—from under 14 to under 13—but only for violent, serious, and repeat offenses.

When Prime Minister Han Seung-sook noted that "a fairly high percentage of people came out in favor of lowering the age threshold," President Lee replied, "Then, let's first decide that we will lower it."

President Lee asked, "Lowering it uniformly by 2 to 3 years seems a bit excessive. If we are to discuss it, perhaps by one year," and added, "But what are we going to do about serious crimes?"

He pointed out, "While the media mainly reports on extremely exceptional cases, there are instances where they commit crimes while saying, 'I won't be punished because I am a juvenile offender.' Looking at that, in certain cases, lowering it by just one year might not be enough."

He continued, "For example, a 12-year-old could commit a murder or a serious crime while knowing what they are doing. They could even exploit the juvenile offender status."

Furthermore, President Lee said, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's opinion is to lower it by only one year partially for specific crimes rather than uniformly, but isn't that too weak?" adding, "Aren't there quite a lot of countries around the world that set the age at 12?"

President Lee remarked, "In any case, the question remains whether to lower the age for all crimes or to lower it by one or two years only for serious, repeat, and violent crimes," and mentioned, "If we lower it, the maximum seems to be 2 years."

However, he proposed, "Let's not make a final decision today," adding, "Let's have another discussion on this within this scope next time. Let's gather public opinion again and conduct a survey."

He continued, "There are people who think that juvenile offenders are not punished at all, but they are punished, and if the age threshold is lowered, that punishment will be strengthened," and added, "I will listen to opinions again under that premise."

During the subsequent discussion, Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho mentioned, "The difference between being a criminal offender and a juvenile offender is that, for example, even if one spends 2 years in a juvenile detention center, no criminal record remains, so it does not become an obstacle when entering public office in the future. That difference is very significant."

President Lee laughed and said, "So that is why the talk about the 'Lee Jae-myung Juvenile Detention Center' came up. Because the records disappear."

President Lee, responding to Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho's point that juvenile offenders do not have criminal records even after serving time in a juvenile detention center, which poses no barrier to future public service, laughed and remarked, "So that is why the talk about the 'Lee Jae-myung Juvenile Detention Center' came up. Because the records disappear."

Minister Jeong Seong-ho replied, "The records exist, but they are not allowed to be disclosed. For children who fall under the juvenile offender age, the cases are often closed without trial, effectively making them disappear."

This is interpreted as a remark pointing to the fact that Mostan (Korean name Dan Hyun-myung), a former professor at Liberty University in the U.S., is currently under investigation in Korea on charges of making false statements, including claims in a press conference last year that President Lee was involved in a murder case and was confined to a juvenile detention center during his youth.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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