Elementary Student Swearing at a Security Guard in His 70s Stabbed by a Man in His 40s Who Tried to Intervene

Elementary Student Swears at Security Guard in His 70s
40s Man Stabs Him for Speaking Informally
"Calls for Revision of Juvenile Law"

[Source=Yonhap News]

An elementary school student who was verbally abusing a security guard in his 70s stabbed a man in his 40s with a weapon after being reprimanded.

According to a report by Kukmin Ilbo on the 21st, on June 1, Mr. Oh (42) witnessed an elementary school student, A (11), and security guard Mr. Yoo (74) arguing near Sillim Station in Seoul. When Mr. Yoo told A and his friends, "Play somewhere else instead of at the apartment entrance where vehicles pass," A reportedly responded with abusive language.

Seeing this, Mr. Oh approached and scolded, "How dare you speak informally to an adult?" A retorted, "Who are you to pick a fight?" and "Do you want to get stabbed?" Soon after, A took out a weapon wrapped in black cloth from his bag and stabbed Mr. Oh in the abdomen. Fortunately, Mr. Oh was confirmed to have not sustained serious injuries. Nearby residents who witnessed the incident called the police, and it seemed to have been resolved, but during the process, Mr. Oh, the victim, was investigated as a suspect. A's friend claimed that Mr. Oh assaulted him, and A filed a complaint against security guard Mr. Yoo, alleging child abuse.

Subsequently, the Gwanak Police secured closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage near the apartment and launched a further investigation, ultimately deciding not to prosecute Mr. Oh on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act. A was sent to the Seoul Family Court as a juvenile offender on charges of special injury. At the time of the incident, A was a juvenile offender under the Juvenile Act (aged 10 or older but under 14), thus exempt from criminal punishment.

As crimes committed by juvenile offenders continue to occur, calls for amendments to related laws are growing louder. Under the current Juvenile Act, the age threshold for juvenile punishment has remained unchanged for 17 years since its revision in December 2007. The Ministry of Justice announced in 2022 a legislative proposal to lower the age criterion for juvenile offenders from 14 to 13 years old, but it has not passed in the National Assembly.