Page 2 - INHA SQUARE 2017

2 INHA SQUARE
COVER STORY
JUVENILE VIOLENCE:
Getting Crueler
Recently, juvenile violences have surfaced as a pressing
issue since a recent act of violence in Busan involving four
middle school students and a victim has made national
headlines.
On Sept. 1 the 13-year-old victim
was beaten and abused for more than
an hour by four other schoolgirls until
she was rendered unconscious. She is
currently hospitalized, being treated
for wounds on her lips and scalp, and
for burns caused by cigarettes. Two
offenders, among the four, who are
being questioned told the police that
they hit her with pipes, bricks, liquor
bottles and a chair. The cruelest thing
about their violence is that they took
the photo of the brutally beaten victim
and sent it to their friends. Later,
this camera footage of the incident
went viral on social media outlets
and shocked everyone. The victim's mother wants these girls
charged with attempted murder, dismissing their excuses.
After People knowing these teenagers' brutal violence,
other similar juvenile violence cases were also revealed by
the media, one of which was a high school girl in Gangneung
who was brutally assaulted by her peers in July. It also
makes people furious and worry about the juvenile violence
and crime problems.
The police quoted the girls will be charged with assault.
However, under the current juvenile law, offenders younger
than 18 years old are subject to lighter punishment than
adults. As a result, the incident has triggered a debate about
punishment for juvenile offenders. For example, an online
Reporter: Lee Wonyoung
petition at Cheong Wa Dae's website
asking for adult punishment for
the juvenile offenders drew nearly
300,000 signatures. In addition,
Deputy Prime Minister and Education
Minister Kim Sangkon stated his
opinion during the meeting with top
officials. "The recent peer violence
cases are too cruel for us to deal
with as simple juvenile crimes. It is
important that we draw up effective
measures to prevent a recurrence of
such cases," he said.
However, some other officials in
the educational fields also noted that
we have to care about these teenagers' future. They said
that a lot of the juvenile delinquents who committed these
crimes have dropped out of school and run away from home.
In addition, many of them are copying
what they have seen in movies. So they
assert that correctional programs to
prevent repeat crimes are needed for
teenage offenders who are on probation
in the reformatory.
What do you think about this issues
of juvenile violence and the controversy
of the abolishment or revision of the
juvenile law? You can read other two
members of INHA SQUARE argue
about this issues in the 'Pros and Cons'
sections. Please check and tell us your
opinion. Whichever opinion you agree,
the one thing we must remember is that
teenagers should be protected safe by
our society and everyone in our country is responsible for
this duty.