President Lee Jae-myung said Thursday that a decision on lowering the juvenile offender age threshold from 14 to 13 would come after two months of deliberative discussions, public opinion surveys, and scientific debate.
"Laws are social agreements," Lee said at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae. "Let the relevant ministries organize the issues, gather public opinions, and then reach a conclusion in about two months."
After receiving a briefing from the Ministry of Justice on the proposal to lower the age from 14 to 13, Lee said the decision appeared to come down to choosing between 13, 12, or 11 years old.
"The most reasonable criterion seems to be whether we're talking about elementary school students or middle school students," he added.
Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung suggested that crime prevention measures should be fully discussed before any age reduction. Lee called this "a valid point" and proposed setting a specific period for thorough public deliberation.
"An overwhelming majority of the public seems to think the age should be lowered by at least one year," Lee said. "I'm directing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to lead a public consultation process."