Last Year, 64,000 Juvenile Offenders, Younger Ages and Increasing Crime Sophistication... Police Strengthen Response

Violent Crimes Decrease While Cybercrimes Surge
Concerns Over Secondary Crimes Like Drugs and Gambling
25% Increase in 'Chokbeopsonyeon' Under Age 13

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Although the total number of juvenile crimes has decreased over the past three years, crimes involving intelligence, gambling, and drugs have increased. This is interpreted as indicating that juvenile crimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and advanced.

According to the National Police Agency on the 29th, the number of juvenile offenders (aged 14-18) apprehended last year was 64,595, a 2.5% decrease compared to 66,259 in 2018. Violent crimes involving physical violence numbered 15,797, and serious crimes numbered 1,907, decreasing by 23.6% and 16% respectively during the same period.

Although the total number of serious crimes decreased, the proportion of special robbery among robbers (321) rose to 41% (132). The police analyzed that these crimes are mainly linked to runaway gangs and prostitution or involve mixed groups using the pretense of arranged meetings to extort money. In fact, in May this year, seven out-of-school youths were arrested for luring men with the bait of arranged meetings with minors, illegally filming videos, and then demanding money. The police dismantled 125 runaway gangs involving 674 members last year alone.

Intelligent crimes such as embezzlement, breach of trust, and fraud (11,900 people) and special law violations such as traffic offenses and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act (14,788 people) increased by 19.9% and 11.4% respectively compared to 2018. In particular, juvenile gambling (55) and drug offenses (132) surged by 129.2% and 83.3% year-on-year. These gambling and drug crimes often led to secondary crimes. A representative case last month involved a teenage youth who was arrested for confining a classmate in a motel and extorting money to fund online gambling.

By age, the proportion of juvenile offenders aged 14-15 increased by 5.7%. Moreover, the number of 'Chokbeopsonyeon' (juveniles exempt from criminal liability) aged 10-13 rose by about 25%, from 7,364 in 2018 to 9,176 last year. The recidivism rate of juveniles who committed crimes again was confirmed to be 32.9% last year. Especially, those with three or more prior offenses accounted for more than half of the repeat offenders, emphasizing the importance of early intervention.

During the COVID-19 situation, juvenile cybercrimes also increased by more than 40%, from 8,642 in 2018 to 12,165 last year. Among detailed types, internet fraud such as direct transaction fraud and game fraud (8,516) was the most common, but so-called 'messenger phishing' using KakaoTalk and other platforms, as well as 'molka phishing' (hidden camera blackmail), are also on the rise. Additionally, 1,101 people were apprehended for cyber sexual violence crimes, which is a concerning point.

Based on this crime analysis, the police plan to focus on ▲ proactive response to juvenile and cyber crimes ▲ expansion of discovery and protection of at-risk youth ▲ enhancement of School Police Officer (SPO) capabilities ▲ activation of guidance for minor juvenile offenders.

The National Police Agency stated, "We will actively support and cooperate with the city and provincial autonomous police committees and city and provincial police agencies' youth protection policies, and work organically with related ministries. We will do our best to create a society where youth are safe."