Average Monthly Arrests of About 1,700 This Year
Number of Juvenile Offenders Arrested This Year May Exceed 20,000
Crimes committed by ‘chokbeopsonyeon’?juvenents aged 10 to under 14 who are exempt from criminal punishment?have nearly doubled in the past five years. Experts point out that beyond the previously discussed proposal to lower the age of chokbeopsonyeon, a comprehensive government-wide response is urgently needed.
According to the National Police Agency on the 21st, the number of chokbeopsonyeon apprehended was 9,606 in 2020, 11,677 in 2021, 16,435 in 2022, 19,653 in 2023, and 15,343 up to September 2024. Considering that about 1,700 chokbeopsonyeon are apprehended monthly this year, the total is expected to exceed 20,000 by the end of the year.
Looking at this year’s chokbeopsonyeon crimes by type, theft was the highest with 7,683 cases, followed by violence with 3,607, others with 3,355, rape and molestation with 647, arson with 41, and robbery with 10. There were zero cases of murder.
On the 9th of this month, an incident occurred in Chungju, Chungbuk, where three elementary school students belonging to a student swimming team, along with two middle and high school students, collectively sexually assaulted a first-grade elementary student. On the 25th of last month, three upper-grade elementary students were caught by police in an apartment complex in Incheon for forcibly showing obscene materials to a fourth-grade elementary student. However, these individuals are classified as chokbeopsonyeon and do not face criminal punishment.
Currently, there are bills in the National Assembly proposing to lower the age limit. Representatives Han Jia and Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party have each proposed legislation to adjust the upper age limit for chokbeopsonyeon to under 13 and under 12, respectively. However, experts emphasize the need for a government-wide and long-term response.
Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University’s Department of Police Science stated, “This is not simply an issue of being 13 or 14 years old. In youth cases, victims often become perpetrators, leading to secondary harm, so once a problem arises, it snowballs.” He added, “It is necessary for not only the police but also the prosecution, education offices, and local governments to collaborate and implement a long-term, government-wide response.”
Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Dongguk University’s Police and Judicial College said, “Compared to before, social awareness of chokbeopsonyeon has increased, and rather than showing leniency toward these crimes, there is a widespread atmosphere of handling them according to legal procedures.” He advised, “Before strengthening punishment standards, the current protective measures and guidance environment need to be improved.”
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