On the 24th, President Lee Jae-myung spoke at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House. He stated, “Let’s sort out the contentious points between relevant ministries and gather public opinion over the next two months before reaching a conclusion,” in regard to lowering the age limit for juvenile delinquents.
During the Cabinet meeting that he presided over at the Blue House, President Lee received a report on lowering the age limit for juvenile delinquents from 14 to 13 years old and commented accordingly.
At this meeting, Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-su mentioned, “Despite the implementation of a comprehensive plan for juvenile crime and multiple measures for prevention and recidivism reduction, crimes by underage offenders are still increasing,” and stressed, “There is a need for serious discussions on lowering the age limit for juveniles.”
The juvenile delinquent system currently excludes those under 14 years old, such as 2nd-year middle school students, from criminal punishment. However, with the rise of severe crimes among youths, such as school violence, there is growing demand to lower the age limit.
On the other hand, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-gyeong expressed caution regarding lowering the age limit for juvenile delinquents. She stated, “A child’s failure is a societal failure, and we need to reflect on whether society has presented a vision of a youth-happy community,” suggesting the need for a social discourse process on the age adjustment.
Related to this, President Lee mentioned, “It seems most reasonable to differentiate juveniles as either elementary or middle school students,” and noted, “It appears that an overwhelming majority of the public believes the age should be lowered by at least one year.”
He added, “It’s difficult to make a decision immediately in this setting. We can’t keep debating indefinitely, so let’s set a target timeframe and reach a conclusion,” directing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to “initiate public discourse on the matter.”