Police Refer Middle School Student Who Damaged Park Young-sun's Poster with 'Non-Prosecution Opinion'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The police have sent a middle school student suspected of damaging election posters of Seoul mayoral candidates in the April 7 by-election to the family court juvenile division with a recommendation for no punishment.

On the 4th, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul announced that they had sent A (13), who is suspected of violating the Public Official Election Act, to the family court juvenile division with a recommendation for no punishment.

The police judged that A is reflecting on his wrongdoing and is highly likely to improve as he is actively participating in the guidance program operated by the police. According to the Juvenile Act, if a crime is committed by a "chokbeopsonyeon" (a criminal minor aged 10 or older but under 14), the police must send the case to the juvenile division if the charge is recognized. Since chokbeopsonyeon are not subject to criminal punishment, they cannot be referred to the guidance review committee that considers conditional release with guidance.

However, if the crime is minor or there is little risk of reoffending, the police can include in the transfer opinion that protective measures are not necessary. The court can impose protective dispositions on juvenile offenders ranging from Type 1 (custody order) and Type 2 (attendance order) to Type 10 (two years in a juvenile training school), but the police requested that no such disposition be imposed in this case.

Earlier, on the 2nd of last month, the police apprehended A at an apartment complex in Seocho-gu for damaging election posters with an ice cream wooden stick. He is suspected of damaging the posters of candidate number 1 Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party and candidate number 11 Kim Jin-a of the Women's Party using the ice cream wooden stick.

After news spread that the police would proceed with the case according to procedure, posts asking for leniency were uploaded on the Blue House National Petition Board. Former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun also requested leniency through social media (SNS).