Park Beom-gye: "Preventing Juvenile Crime Is Preventing Serious Crime"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, emphasized that "preventing juvenile crime is equivalent to preventing serious crime."

On the afternoon of the 31st, at Mipyeong Girls' School, a juvenile protection institution in Cheongju, Chungbuk, Park stated during a meeting with staff, "If we actively respond to juvenile crime, we can prevent it from developing into serious crime in the future."

Minister Park also said, "I will continue to visit other juvenile detention centers to check on the treatment of protected youth." He then toured the juvenile dormitory, inspected the quarantine situation, and had a conversation with the protected juveniles and their guardians.

Earlier in the day, Minister Park visited the Legal Research and Training Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk, where he gave a lecture to prosecutors specializing in child abuse cases.

In his lecture, he said, "Various individual laws such as the Civil Act and the Child Abuse Punishment Act delegate tasks to prosecutors, including filing for loss of parental rights and appointment of guardians," adding, "The prosecution's strict punishment of perpetrators of child abuse and protection of children is the way to restore public trust."

He continued, "Only 30% of child abuse cases enter the criminal justice system, while 70% do not," emphasizing, "Prosecutors must demonstrate democratic leadership by establishing a cooperative system with local government child abuse officers, child protection agencies, police, and others to comprehensively protect children's rights."

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