Yonhap News
People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won said on the 7th that she would introduce a bill to amend the law so that the state officially verifies serious criminal facts from the juvenile years of high-ranking public officials, including the president and members of the National Assembly, and so that the public can directly examine them.
Referring to the recent case of actor Cho Jin-woong, who has suspended activities amid the ‘juvenile offender controversy’, she explained that the intent is to clarify eligibility standards for public office by strengthening the vetting of past criminal histories of candidates for public office.
The main content of the amendment is to require state institutions to officially inquire whether protective dispositions and judgments or rulings exist regarding serious offenses committed during one’s juvenile years, for candidates for president, National Assembly, and city and provincial governors; high-ranking civil servants above a certain grade; and candidates for and recipients of the highest-level government commendations and orders.
By revising the Public Official Election Act, candidates for elected office must, in addition to the existing ‘certificate of criminal record of imprisonment or higher’, state in their election brochures whether there exist juvenile protective dispositions and related judgments regarding serious crimes as defined by the Juvenile Act, and the National Election Commission will establish procedures to verify such facts in advance by officially requesting confirmation from the National Police Agency, the courts, and other bodies.
In addition, the amendment to the Juvenile Act includes a clause that clearly defines the scope of ‘serious crimes’, excluding minor property offenses, simple violence, and general delinquent behavior.
A legal basis would be established to allow judgments related to serious crimes from the juvenile period to be viewed and confirmed solely for the purpose of public office vetting, and a new penalty provision would be introduced to sanction the use of this information for other purposes, blocking the potential for abuse.
The amendment also contains transitional provisions that include within its scope those currently serving in elected office and high-ranking civil servants above a certain grade, as well as those who have already received the highest-level government commendations and orders. They too would be required to check whether records related to serious offenses from their juvenile years exist and disclose the result to the public.
Rep. Na said, “While respecting the purpose of the Juvenile Act, namely rehabilitation and social reintegration, there is a strong demand that for the highest public offices and the highest honors of the nation, higher standards of morality and responsibility be shown before the people,” and added, “Leaving a permanent blind spot solely because of the label ‘juvenile offender’ even for heinous criminals such as murder·robbery·sexual violence·arson·kidnapping·aggravated bodily injury·serious drug crimes is neither fair nor consistent with common sense,” she argued.
