Ministry of Justice Rejects Human Rights Commission's Recommendation to Remove Delinquent Juvenile Regulations

Acceptance of Recommendations Including Guaranteeing Juvenile Right to Object

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Human Rights Commission announced on the 26th that the Ministry of Justice only partially accepted the recommendation to improve the juvenile justice system to protect the rights of juveniles.

The Human Rights Commission stated on the same day, "The essence of the juvenile justice system is protection, not punishment, yet South Korea has been continuously criticized domestically and internationally for failing to provide adequate child protection," adding, "We regret the Ministry of Justice's lukewarm stance on the recommendation."

Earlier, in July of last year, the Human Rights Commission recommended to the Minister of Justice to delete the provision on "delinquent juveniles" in the Juvenile Act and replace it with support measures and protection policies from a juvenile welfare perspective. "Delinquent juveniles" refers to "juveniles aged 10 or older who gather in groups causing unease, run away without justifiable reasons, drink alcohol and cause disturbances, or who, considering their personality or environment, are at risk of committing acts punishable under criminal law."

The Ministry of Justice partially accepted the Human Rights Commission's recommendation by supporting juveniles involved in criminal cases to receive legal assistance from the investigation stage and expanding the scope of those eligible to select defense attorneys. Additionally, it decided to review proposing a bill to the National Assembly to guarantee juveniles' right to object to temporary measures entrusted to juvenile classification examiners.

However, the Ministry reportedly did not accept the recommendation to delete the provision on delinquent juveniles, citing the need for further social discussion. Furthermore, regarding the recommendation to adhere to the principle of separating juveniles and adults in detention, the Ministry did not clarify its position on related legal provisions, effectively indicating a refusal to accept the recommendation.

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