Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung discusses the ministry’s policy achievements and plans during a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul on Wednesday. Photo by Asia Today
July 16 (Asia Today) — The South Korean government is considering lowering the maximum age for exemption from criminal punishment from 14 to 13 for juveniles who commit violent, serious or repeated offenses.
The debate intensified after President Lee Jae-myung ordered officials Tuesday to reconsider an initial proposal that would lower the age by only one year and apply the change to limited categories of crimes.
Lee questioned whether the proposed change was substantial enough during a Cabinet meeting.
Under South Korean law, children younger than 14 cannot be held criminally responsible. Those ages 10 through 13 who commit offenses may instead receive protective measures under the Juvenile Act.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family presented the Cabinet with the results of a public consultation on the issue. It proposed making some 13-year-old offenders eligible for criminal punishment when they commit particularly serious or repeated crimes.
Cabinet members, however, raised concerns that applying different ages of criminal responsibility depending on the type of offense could create legal problems.
The minimum age of criminal responsibility has remained unchanged since South Korea enacted its Criminal Act in 1953.
A deliberative survey of 212 citizens showed that 46.7% supported lowering the age only for violent, serious or repeated offenses while 30.2% favored lowering it for all offenses.
Among participants who supported a reduction, 55.8% favored lowering the threshold by one year.
The government is expected to conduct a second public consultation to determine whether the change should apply only to specified offenses or to all crimes. The process also will consider whether the current threshold should be lowered from younger than 14 to younger than 13 or younger than 12.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to lead the second consultation because the proposal requires a detailed legal review.
Officials will need to determine which offenses qualify as violent or serious and whether applying different criminal responsibility standards according to the offense would conflict with the purpose of the juvenile justice system.
The second consultation could begin this month and conclude within one or two months.
The government said it would gather additional public input before reaching a final decision.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also plans to pursue revisions to the Criminal Act and Juvenile Act while considering the creation of an interagency committee focused on preventing juvenile delinquency.
Officials said the government would strengthen post-offense management and rehabilitation programs designed to reduce repeat offenses regardless of whether the age threshold is lowered.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260716010006327