“8-year-old throws scooter from 10th floor of apartment building” ... No punishment despite damaging a car

[Financial News]  An 8-year-old elementary school student who damaged a parked car by throwing a scooter from a height of about 10 floors in an apartment building will not face criminal punishment. Under current law, the child is too young to face criminal punishment or receive protective measures under the Juvenile Act.
On the 29th, according to Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station and other sources, police closed the case involving elementary school student A, an 8-year-old boy, on the 16th. He had been investigated before being formally booked on suspicion of property damage.
Investigators found that A threw a scooter down from a height of about 10 floors at an apartment building in Usan-dong, Gwangsan District, Gwangju, on June 13. The scooter damaged a car parked nearby.
No one was passing through the apartment building’s first floor at the time, so no one was injured.
After receiving a report from the car’s owner, police reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. The footage showed A inspecting the car after the scooter fell. Police identified A based on the name written on the scooter and the CCTV footage.
A reportedly told police that he threw the scooter out of curiosity.
Although the scooter damaged the car, A cannot face criminal punishment. Under current law, anyone under 14 is exempt from criminal punishment.
Children aged 10 to under 14 are classified as juvenile offenders and may receive protective measures under the Juvenile Act. However, children under 10, like A, are not eligible for protective measures either.
However, even when criminal punishment or protective measures are not possible, civil damages can still be sought for the damaged car.
A’s parents are reportedly discussing compensation with the owner of the damaged car.
A similar incident occurred in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, in September 2024. At the time, three lower-grade elementary school students dropped a stolen scooter from the 15th floor of an apartment building. Police questioned the students and then handed them over to their parents.
A netizen who said they reported the incident to police at the time expressed concern online, saying, “I know they can’t be punished because they’re children, but they know better themselves. I’m worried this could give them confidence to do something worse.”
The netizen also said that objects had fallen from the same apartment building before. “Earlier this year, a cup of instant noodles fell from the same building, in the same line of apartments. There’s actually no proof it was those kids, but maybe the cup noodles have evolved into scooters,” the netizen said, adding, “At an age when they should be receiving care, what are their parents teaching them?”


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter