"Repeating Crimes by Releasing 'Chokbeop Boys', Unable to Claim Damages... 'Is There Such an Absurd Law?'"

"Parents, Schools, and Police Sought but to No Avail" Petition Urges Revision of Juvenile Offender Law at Blue House
Last Year in Daegu, Middle Schoolers Causing Disturbances in Restaurants Saying "We Won't Go to Prison Even if We Kill Someone"
Juvenile Offender Crime Rate Continues to Rise

As juvenile crimes have become a social issue, calls for strict punishment of these offenders are growing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Recently, as the severity of crimes committed by minors has increased, calls for harsher punishment of 'chokbeopsonyeon' (criminally underage juveniles) are growing louder.

On the 4th, a post was uploaded on the Blue House's public petition board, appealing that two elementary school students stole goods worth 6 million won over three months from an unmanned stationery store but were not punished because they are chokbeopsonyeon.

A, who runs an unmanned stationery store in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, opened the store because their own children had inconveniences due to the lack of stationery stores near the school. A said they noticed suspicious behavior from some girls a few weeks ago.

A post titled "The Juvenile Punishment Law (Juvenile Delinquency Act) is wrong. Please revise it. The country is encouraging juvenile crime" was posted on the Blue House petition board. Photo by Blue House petition board capture.

A said, "I couldn't catch and question the children, so I checked the CCTV after they left. They were carrying bags and sweeping up items even though there were other customers," adding, "This was not just stealing a few items; they were just grabbing whatever they could. It was so natural that I couldn't believe my eyes, and their crime was bold." A estimated that the children stole more than 30 times, with a total amount exceeding 6 million won.

A decided it was better to inform the parents rather than report to the police and told the children's parents about the theft, but the parents responded inappropriately. After informing the school, they still did not receive compensation for the stolen amount.

Eventually, A turned to the police as a last resort. "After a long explanation, the police suddenly said that since these children are under 10 years old and chokbeopsonyeon, they cannot be criminally punished, so the investigation itself is ineffective and they would just leave," A said. "I asked them to confirm the damage so that the victim store owner could at least apply for insurance, but they said it was still not possible because they are minors. They said the only option was to file a civil lawsuit."

A expressed frustration, saying, "What kind of unreasonable law is this? I understand that minors cannot be criminally punished, but shouldn't the case at least be investigated?"

Additionally, on the 5th, a chokbeopsonyeon who was under police investigation for speeding through the city in a stolen car committed the same act again within a week and was sent to a juvenile detention center. B, who stole an unlocked passenger car from a parking lot of a commercial building in Cheongju and drove around for about five hours, was classified as chokbeopsonyeon and was released after a brief police investigation. A week later, B was caught after driving an unlocked passenger car in an apartment parking lot and on the road following a citizen's report.

Meanwhile, a middle school student riot incident at a restaurant in Daegu last November also sparked public outrage. The students caused a disturbance by throwing flowerpots and driving out customers because they were scolded not to smoke. According to the restaurant owner, the students even said things implying, "We won't go to prison even if we kill someone."

According to statistics from the National Police Agency, juvenile crime continues to rise. The number increased sharply from 7,364 in 2018 to 8,615 in 2019, and 9,176 in 2020. The recidivism rate is also high. Over the past three years, the recidivism rate is 33%, and the rate of those reoffending three or more times is also on the rise.

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