Petition for 'Identity Disclosure' of Mongolian Female Middle School Student Assault Perpetrator... Cheong Responds "Not Allowed for Minors"

Due to stagnant air conditions, the concentration of ultrafine dust reached a 'bad' level on the 26th, causing the Blue House in Seoul to appear hazy. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House has stated that minors are not subject to personal information disclosure requirements in response to a national petition demanding strict punishment and personal information disclosure for students who collectively assaulted a foreign middle school girl in Yangsan, Gyeongnam.

On the 28th, Ko Joo-hee, head of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, responded to the petition by saying, "Regarding the requested personal information disclosure, current law stipulates that the subject must 'not be a minor,' so this case does not apply."

Previously, the petitioner demanded strict punishment and personal information disclosure for the perpetrators who collectively assaulted a Mongolian middle school girl in Gyeongnam, and 232,800 citizens agreed with the petition.

Ko said, "Immediately after the assault occurred in July last year, the police began an investigation. In early October, two students accused of joint assault were sent to the prosecution, and two others classified as juvenile offenders were sent to the juvenile court," adding, "Recently, the court recognized the related charges, and all four perpetrators received short-term juvenile detention of up to six months."

He continued, "The Gyeongnam Office of Education has taken this incident as an opportunity to conduct multicultural understanding education and cyberbullying prevention education at schools in the district," and added, "They have also strengthened ongoing counseling for multicultural students to detect early difficulties in school life and school violence that multicultural students may experience."

Regarding allegations of inadequate investigation, the National Human Rights Commission announced in December last year that it would conduct an ex officio investigation, stating, "They are examining whether the initial responses by the police, education support office, and schools were inadequate, delays in investigating the petition, and insufficient victim protection measures, and we hope that this will clarify whether human rights violations occurred."

Ko emphasized, "Most importantly, maximum prevention and education should be conducted to prevent school violence, and if victims occur, appropriate investigations and responsible measures by educational authorities must follow," and stated, "The government will pay attention to this point and make further efforts to create a safe school environment free from violence."