Should South Korea Lower the Age of Criminal Responsibility? Key Insights from Recent Discussions
Daniel Kim Views
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After a public dialogue on adjusting the minimum age of criminal responsibility for minors—commonly discussed under the Korean term chokbeobsonyeon—participants concluded that the current standard should be retained.
On April 30, government officials said the social dialogue council on the juvenile criminal responsibility age convened its final plenary meeting at the Government Complex Seoul and voted to recommend keeping the current threshold of 14. The recommendation also calls for ongoing reforms to prevent abuse of the system. The decision appears to temper the outcome of a citizen deliberation forum, which had largely favored lowering the age.
The council was launched on March 6, roughly ten days after President Lee Jae-myung urged public debate during the Feb. 24 Cabinet meeting and requested a decision within two months. Since then, the council has held four plenary sessions, twelve subcommittee meetings and two advisory meetings. The Korea Youth Policy Institute hosted public forums twice, and on April 23 the group held a video meeting with Sophie Kilaje, chair of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child.
In her opening remarks, Minister Won Min-kyung of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said practitioners consistently urged that the debate should not stop at adjusting the juvenile age. They recommended that policymakers prioritize expanding juvenile justice capacity and strengthening protections for victims.
Officials plan to submit the council’s approved recommendation to the Cabinet in mid-May.
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