[Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] The Blue House expressed a cautious stance on the 2nd regarding a public petition demanding that juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment should receive the same penalties as adults for serious crimes, stating that "further social discussion is needed."
Kang Jeong-su, head of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, responded to the petition titled "Strict Punishment for Juveniles Who Caused a Fatal Accident by Stealing a Rental Car," saying, "The government is fully aware of the seriousness of juvenile crimes and the pain of the victims," but added, "The issue of juvenile crime should be understood widely from the government's perspective, which must consider not only the criminal justice aspect of strengthening punishment but also the social welfare and educational aspects of properly educating juvenile offenders and reintegrating them into society."
This petition demands strict punishment for eight teenage offenders who, in the early morning of March, fled in a stolen rental car in Daejeon and caused the death of an innocent young man. Public outrage grew after it was revealed that the deceased victim was a diligent young man working late-night delivery part-time jobs while preparing to enter university. A total of 1,007,040 citizens agreed with the petition.
Kang stated, "All eight juvenile offenders involved in this case were sent to the juvenile court, a specialized court for juvenile protection cases, and seven of them have had their verdicts finalized," adding, "Lee Mo, who was driving the car at the time of the accident, is still under trial due to additional crimes discovered."
However, Kang noted, "Most experts pointed out that strengthening punishment for juvenile offenders is not an effective means to reduce recidivism, and no overseas cases were found where lowering the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile offenders led to a decrease in crime," introducing foreign examples.
In 2010, Denmark faced social issues regarding criminal punishment for juvenile offenders and lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14. However, this led to an increase in recidivism among 14-year-old offenders who received criminal punishment. Consequently, Denmark raised the age of criminal responsibility back to 15 through a criminal law amendment in 2012.
Kang added, "The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child has recommended that South Korea not lower the current age of criminal responsibility, which is 14, and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea has expressed the same opinion."
Nonetheless, Kang said, "The government will prioritize measures that can be implemented immediately," and stated, "We will promptly promote measures to enhance juvenile protection orders to prevent reoffending by juvenile offenders, as well as protection and support plans for victims of juvenile crime, which have been neglected in previous juvenile delinquency prevention policies."
He also said, "We will actively pursue measures to protect victims of juvenile crime," and added, "We will swiftly push for amendments to the Juvenile Act to introduce temporary measures such as 'prohibition of victim contact' and 'pretrial probation' from the time of the incident until the verdict is finalized."
Kang concluded, "The issue of criminal punishment for juvenile offenders has already become a social issue that our society must collectively consider and resolve," and said, "The government will continue discussions, gathering opinions from various sectors until the public is convinced, on how to hold juvenile offenders accountable through criminal punishment, how to heal the victims' emotional wounds, how to guide juvenile offenders, and how to protect and support crime victims."
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