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Two Elementary Students Arrested for Arson: What Happens to ‘촉법소년’ in South Korea?

Daniel Kim Views  

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Police detained two elementary school students, who fall into the “not criminally liable” age group, after they set fire to a pile of garbage in front of a multi-family residence.

On April 4, Incheon’s Samsan Police Station said it is investigating two elementary school students, including a boy identified as A, on suspicion of arson of an occupied building.

Police say that on April 3 at about 2 p.m., the students used a portable lighter to ignite a pile of trash stacked in front of a multi-family building in Bupyeong-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.

Firefighters who responded extinguished the blaze in about seven minutes, and no injuries were reported.

Police determined that A and the other student are classified as chokbeopsonyeon — juveniles aged 10 to 13. Officers returned the children to their parents and said they will refer the case to the family court’s juvenile division once the investigation is complete.

Police say the students told investigators they set the fire “as a prank.”

Under current law, chokbeopsonyeon are not held criminally responsible. When the family court’s juvenile division handles such cases, juveniles receive one of ten protective dispositions instead of criminal punishment — options include placement in care, community service, probation, or transfer to a juvenile training center.

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Daniel Kim
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