Teenagers Threaten Elementary Students with Lighter to Steal Money... Police Pursue Suspects

Haeundae Police Tracking Two Male and One Female Student

Police in Busan are investigating a report that three individuals, believed to be middle school students, attempted to extort money from elementary school students and inflicted burns on them using a lighter.

On June 13, Yonhap News Agency, citing the Busan Haeundae Police Station, reported that a 112 emergency call was received recently, stating that elementary school students, referred to as Student A and Student B, were subjected to verbal abuse and threats by a group of students in front of a commercial building within the jurisdiction.

Busan Haeundae Police Station. Yonhap News Agency

According to police, the suspects demanded money from Student A and others, saying they wanted to buy ice cream. While verbally abusing them, they took out a lighter and subsequently burned Student A’s arm.

The suspects also reportedly threatened the victims by bringing a lit cigarette close to them. Student A is said to have sustained second-degree burns on his arm and is receiving treatment at a hospital. The perpetrators are reported to be two male students and one female student.

Police received the report on June 8 but were unable to identify the suspects for six days. Currently, they are conducting an investigation to identify the perpetrators by securing footage from closed-circuit (CC) TV cameras around the scene after receiving the report.

An official from the Haeundae Police Station told Yonhap News Agency, "The investigation team has been dispatched to the scene and is securing nearby CCTV footage as part of ongoing efforts to identify the suspects."

Meanwhile, the number of "juvenile offenders"?those aged 10 or older but under 14, who receive protective measures instead of criminal punishment even if they commit crimes?has been increasing every year. According to data submitted to the National Assembly’s Education Committee by Jin Sunmi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of juvenile offenders apprehended last year was 20,814. Considering that the annual number of apprehended juvenile offenders was in the 9,000s until 2020, this figure has more than doubled over the past five years.