Spraying Fire Extinguishers Around Parking Lot and Filming It Again... "Did It for Fun," Say Juveniles Under Criminal Responsibility Age

Delinquent Juvenile Misconduct Increasing Annually... Calls for Countermeasures Rise
"Crimes Committed for Fun as a Joke" Motive Focused on 'Fun'

As delinquent acts by juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment continue to occur, voices are growing louder that urgent measures are needed as some of these acts reach socially unacceptable levels.

Middle school students spraying fire extinguishers on parked cars.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 25th, the Namdong Police Station in Incheon announced that two boys, including A (13), would be sent to the juvenile court on charges of property damage, while two others, including B (14), would be referred to the police. A and the others are accused of spraying fire extinguisher powder on 41 vehicles in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Namdong-gu, Incheon, four times from the 28th of last month to the 21st of this month.

Middle school students spraying fire extinguishers on parked cars.
Photo by Yonhap News

CCTV footage of the crime shows A and the others running around spraying fire extinguisher powder on parked cars, while other accomplices watched and recorded the scene on their mobile phones. Their spree ended only after most of the parked cars were covered in white powder. During police investigations, they reportedly stated that they sprayed the fire extinguisher powder "just for fun as a prank."

Among them, C was confirmed to have sprayed fire extinguisher powder not only in the parking lot but also in front of her home. C’s parents reported to the police that their daughter sprayed powder on the front door of their house, and after an agreement was reached between C’s parents and the apartment management office, the matter was resolved on site. Initially, the police had 11 suspects including A under investigation, but decided to refer five who were directly involved in the crime.

Juvenile Offenders Exempt from Criminal Liability... Number of Crimes Increasing Every Year

The site of the arson incident in Seocheon, Chungnam.
[Photo by Seocheon Fire Station]

Earlier, on the 11th, it was revealed that a 16-year-old youth living nearby was responsible for arson at a house in Seocheon, Chungnam, sparking controversy. The arsonist, D, reportedly set fire after failing to steal a motorcycle. He even watched for over 30 minutes as the fire spread from the motorcycle to the house. D admitted to the crime during police questioning, saying, "I wanted to play with fire."

As juvenile offenders’ crimes become increasingly malicious, calls to lower the age of criminal responsibility are growing louder since they are not held criminally liable. According to the Juvenile Act, juveniles aged 10 to under 14 are classified as juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment and, when sent to the juvenile court, may receive protective measures ranging from 1 to 10, including commitment to care, community service orders, probation, or placement in juvenile training schools.

In response to worsening public opinion on juvenile offender crimes, the government proposed an amendment to the Juvenile Act in December 2022 to lower the age of juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment from under 14 to under 13. Looking at the number of juvenile offender crimes disclosed by the police by year, the figures have been increasing annually: 7,364 cases in 2018, 8,615 in 2019, 9,606 in 2020, 11,677 in 2021, and 16,435 in 2022.

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