The photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
The photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A video showing an elementary school student riding a stolen motorbike without a license before crashing on a public road has spread rapidly online, reigniting debate over the age threshold for juvenile criminal responsibility in South Korea.

The clip, titled "Sixth-graders these days," began circulating Sunday across multiple online communities, including the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

In the footage, a student wearing no helmet rides a black motorbike on a public road, repeatedly crossing the center line in a reckless display before losing control and falling. After the crash, the rider casually dusts himself off and walks away from the scene.

The person who submitted the video claimed the rider was an elementary school student who had no driver's license and appeared to have stolen the motorbike because his parents would not buy him one. "They know they won't be punished no matter how recklessly they act," the tipster said, pointing to the juvenile under criminal age regime.

However, beyond the claims of the person who posted the video, the rider's exact age and the precise circumstances of the alleged theft have not been confirmed.

The video amassed nearly 1 million views in under a day.

Online commenters reacted with alarm and criticism. "The juvenile criminal age exemption is the problem," wrote one user. Others called for lowering the age threshold, questioned the parents' whereabouts, and said the children should face consequences. "Please punish them — for their own sake," one commenter wrote.

Under current law, minors aged 10 to 13 who commit offenses cannot be criminally prosecuted and instead face only protective measures such as placement in a juvenile reformatory. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Justice are reportedly reviewing a conditional plan to lower the age threshold for juveniles under criminal age from 14 to 13.


choigo@heraldcorp.com