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Lee signals willingness to lower age of criminal responsibility for youths

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 17:25 Updated: 24 Feb. 2026, 17:53

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House in Seoul on Feb. 24. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday instructed the government to gather public opinion on whether to lower the age of criminal liability for youths.

Lee made the call during a Cabinet meeting after the justice ministry gave a briefing on its proposal to lower the upper age limit of "criminal minors," defined in Korean law as those under 14 years old, to address concerns over rising crime rates among early teens.

"It seems that an overwhelming majority of people agree that the age threshold should be lowered by at least one year," Lee said.

Vice Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo said there are growing calls to lower the age threshold to the level of first-year middle school students to better address youth crime. In contrast, Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung took a cautious stance, pointing to insufficient preventive measures for juvenile offenders.

Lee said the most reasonable line may be whether a child is in elementary or middle school, given their different educational and developmental environments.

"The mindsets of middle school students and elementary school students could be different. Middle school students may feel they are entering a new world," he said.

Lee instructed relevant ministries to sort out key arguments and collect public opinion on the issue, saying, "Let's reach a decision on the matter in two months' time."

Yonhap