Five years ago, a horrifying photo of a kneeling, blood-covered 14-year-old went viral on Facebook. Originally posted on a page for anonymous submissions, the picture was reportedly taken by a girl of the same age: one of the four perpetrators. Recorded footage of the assault displayed the usage of a chair, glass bottle, and steel frame at a vacant lot in Busan, South Korea; this was then aired on various media platforms. Unfortunate cases like this raise heated debates over whether we should revise the current South Korean juvenile act to enlighten youths about the repercussions of their ill-considered actions, which often lead victims to suffer severely.

The present law for juveniles, set for people under 18, states that the maximum detention period at the reformatory is two years. In murder cases, imprisonment will last 15 years at most. What’s more, minors do not get criminal records. This provokes discussion in that adults who commit similar crimes would receive much heavier retribution in the legal realm. 

In another recent case, 16 high school students in Daejeon sexually assaulted a mentally disabled teenager. The felons were then given a mere year of probation and just one period of re-education. Moreover, one offender was accepted into a prestigious university in Seoul without a criminal record and recommended as a model student. 

Cases like the Busan assault can never be considered exceptions, as countless other infamous crimes, like the Daejon incident or Miryang gang rape, have also been committed by minors. A petition to abolish or strengthen the juvenile law was signed by over 109,000 supporters who continue to express demand for change. Many have called for a reassessment of the silly act to reduce the number of young offenders.

김희 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

<저작권자 © 강남포스트, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지>