Cheonan Elementary Students Sent to Juvenile Facility After Stealing Car, Driving Without License

Three elementary school students in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, are currently under care at a juvenile protection facility after being charged with stealing a vehicle and driving without a license. While juvenile offenders aged 10 to 13 receive protective measures instead of criminal punishment, this incident illustrates that even under-age offenders can be housed in facilities for serious crimes. The three students allegedly stole an SUV with its lock disengaged from an apartment underground parking lot on the 13th of last month. The driver was apprehended by police approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes later, with the other two being arrested about 8 hours after the theft. The driver crashed into a guardrail at the time of apprehension. The juvenile court issued an emergency warrant to immediately detain the primary suspect, A, the driver at the time, at the Juvenile Classification Review Institute without prior summons. Boys B and C were handed over to their parents and sent home.

A week later, on the 20th of last month, boy B stole his friend D's father's car and drove to Dangjin City with D in the passenger seat, again without a license. Children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 are considered juvenile offenders and are often handed over to their guardians instead of facing criminal charges for their offenses. Considering that B committed a similar crime again just a week later, police applied for emergency warrants for B and D. Warrants were issued for both B and D. When an emergency warrant is issued, juvenile offenders under 14 can be placed in juvenile facilities. A total of three individuals (A, B, and D) were deemed to have participated significantly in the crime, leading to the issuance of emergency warrants. They are currently undergoing review at a juvenile protection facility. Police explained that they are increasingly applying for emergency warrants in cases deemed serious, with a high possibility of reoffending, or where parental supervision is deemed difficult.

Professor Oh Yoon-sung of the Police Administration Department at Soonchunhyang University pointed out that unlicensed driving by juvenile offenders, who lack driving experience, can lead to multiple victims and should be viewed more seriously than adult crimes. He emphasized the need for firm and serious measures rather than simply handing them over to their guardians.