[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Juvenile crime is rapidly increasing. The number of cases involving juveniles under 19 years old filed with the courts last year increased by 10% compared to the previous year.
According to the courts on the 10th, the number of juvenile protection cases filed last year was about 37,000, up 9.83% from 33,000 the previous year. Among them, about 24,000 (69.2%) received protective measures instead of punishment. Protective measures focus more on the proper growth of minors rather than punishment and range from probation to transfer to juvenile detention centers.
The increase in juvenile protection cases continues due to factors such as the rise in school violence cases handled as criminal cases. Juvenile protection assault cases, which were 922 in 2014, increased to 1,779 in 2018.
In particular, theft accounted for the highest proportion at 35.4%. Violations of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes, fraud, and others followed. By gender, among the total 24,131 protective measures, males accounted for 19,506 cases (80.8%), and females were 4,625 (19.2%).
By age group, those aged 16 to under 18 accounted for 38% of the total, followed by those aged 14 to under 16 at 30.6%. When examining the causes of the acts, impulsive behavior was the most common at 45.7%, followed by curiosity, earning living expenses, and entertainment.
Looking at the trends by year, theft among juvenile protection cases filed with the courts since 2010 decreased by 33%, while sexual violence cases increased by 47%. Theft cases dropped from 19,356 in 2010 to 12,941 in 2019, a 33% decrease. Cases under the Act on the Punishment of Violent Crimes, which penalizes group assaults or habitual assaults, decreased by 54% from 9,047 in 2010 to 4,118 in 2019. However, cases under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes increased by 47%, from 964 in 2010 to 1,425 in 2019. Violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse also rose by 26.5%, from 532 in 2010 to 673 in 2019.
Meanwhile, domestic violence-related cases filed with the courts last year reached an all-time high. The total was 23,698 cases, a 20% increase from 19,739 the previous year. After peaking at 22,482 cases in 2016, the number decreased in 2017-2018 but surged again last year.
Domestic protection cases are a system where crimes of domestic violence occurring within families such as between parents and children or spouses are not criminally punished but, when deemed necessary for a certain level of public authority intervention, investigative agencies refer the cases to family courts, which then decide on protective measures such as restraining orders, probation, or treatment orders.
Last year, domestic violence most frequently occurred between spouses, accounting for about 7 out of 10 cases (70.8%). Including common-law marriages (10.6%) and former spouses (2.3%), the total exceeds 80%. The parent-child relationship followed at 14.7%.
Legal circles attribute the sharp increase in domestic protection cases to social instability and the judiciary's strong will to actively respond to domestic violence. Primarily, it reflects an increase in violence among family members, but as awareness of domestic violence has changed, investigative agencies such as prosecutors have increasingly referred minor domestic violence cases to the courts as domestic protection cases.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
