Police took action against 1,322 people under the age of 20 last year for crimes linked to ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± anonymous and transient criminal groups, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Of them, 425 were involved in fraud, 247 in thefts and 200 in drug offenses.
Those involved in robberies totaled 116, accounting for about 40% of all suspects in ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨±-linked robbery cases, including adults.
¡°The masterminds (behind ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± groups) appear to assign juveniles roles that carry a high risk of being caught for their crimes, effectively treating them as disposable,¡± an NPA official said.
This is the first time that the agency has compiled data on offenses by young people that are related to ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨± crimes.
As for how those under the age of 20 became involved in ³Ù´Ç°ì³Ü°ù²â¨±-related crimes, 26.7% joined through social media, such as by applying for what are called ¡°dark¡± part-time jobs. This is lower than the 40.6% among adult suspects, suggesting those under 20 are more likely to be drawn into crimes through acquaintances rather than social media.
The agency also said police took action against or gave correctional guidance to a record 27 people under the age of 20 involved in illegal online casino gambling last year, up ninefold from the previous year. Of them, eight were junior high school students and 13 were high school students. The youngest was a 12-year-old, while there was a case in which a junior high school student swindled about ?2.88 million to obtain funds for online casino bets.
The NPA estimates that about 90,000 people age 10 to 19 are using online casino websites. It plans to step up efforts to make it harder for people to access such sites by leveraging a related law that came into effect last year.
The agency also said the number of people under 20 whom police took action against for cannabis possession or use rose 21.7% to a record high of 1,373, with those in high school increasing 52.7% to 313. Possession accounted for 80% of all cases, and the majority of the offenders were boys.
In Japan, in addition to possession, which had long been prohibited, the use of cannabis also became illegal starting in December 2024.
The NPA plans to raise awareness among young people about the illegality of cannabis possession and use through social media posts.
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