Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday instructed the government to gather public opinion on whether to lower the age threshold for criminal minors. 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, those aged 10 to under 14, to address concerns over rising crime rates among early teens.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Vice Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo highlighted growing calls to lower the age threshold to the level of first-year middle school students, typically around age 13, to better address youth crime. However, Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyung expressed a cautious stance, citing insufficient preventive measures for juvenile offenders.

President Lee emphasized that the most reasonable demarcation may be whether a child is in elementary or middle school, given their different educational and developmental environments. "The mindset of middle school students and elementary school students could be different. Middle school students may feel they are entering a new world," he explained.

To move forward, President Lee instructed relevant ministries to sort out key arguments and gather public opinion on the issue, aiming to reach a decision within two months.