Ministry of Justice to Promote Partial Amendment of Civil Act to Ban Child Corporal Punishment... Considering Removal of Disciplinary Authority

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Amid public outrage over recent child abuse cases resulting in death due to corporal punishment by parents, including the case of a stepmother who confined her 9-year-old stepson in a travel bag causing his death, the Ministry of Justice is pushing for an amendment to the Civil Act to clearly prohibit corporal punishment of children.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Justice announced that it is working on revising Article 915 of the Civil Act, which regulates parents' disciplinary rights over their children, to include legislation banning corporal punishment.

Article 915 of the Civil Act states, "A guardian may discipline a child as necessary for protection or education, and with the court's permission, may entrust the child to a reformatory or correctional institution."

The Ministry of Justice pointed out that this provision "is interpreted as allowing reasonable methods and degrees of discipline socially acceptable for protecting or educating a child, and does not include methods that cause physical pain or mental suffering such as verbal abuse."

Civil society organizations have also argued for the need to amend this provision, fearing it could be misunderstood as permitting corporal punishment by parents.

The Ministry of Justice explained that considering these points and to prevent the recent serious increase in child abuse cases, it has decided to pursue amendments to the Civil Act.

Earlier, the 'Committee for Legal Improvement for an Inclusive Family Culture' under the Ministry of Justice recommended on April 24 that "to enhance children's rights and foster an equal and inclusive family culture, Article 915 of the Civil Act regarding disciplinary rights should be deleted, and the prohibition of corporal punishment by parents against children should be clearly stipulated in the Civil Act."

To amend the Civil Act, the Ministry of Justice plans to hold a meeting with related agencies on the 12th to gather opinions and advice from child rights experts and youth representatives to prepare a concrete amendment proposal.

Subsequently, after going through follow-up procedures such as legislative notice, the Ministry intends to submit a partial amendment bill of the Civil Act to the National Assembly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.