Elementary school students under protective custody for car theft and reckless driving (Graphic by Park Ji-young/The Korea Herald) Three 12-year-old boys, who are exempt from criminal punishment because of their age, have been placed in a juvenile classification review center under rare emergency measures taken by law enforcement.Officials at Cheonan Dongnam Police Station said Wednesday that the boys are being held at the facility, which temporarily houses and assesses underage offenders before a court makes a decision on their case. The assessment can significantly affect the court’s decision.The three elementary school students are accused of stealing an SUV from an apartment complex in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, at around 7:20 p.m. on May 14 and driving it around Dong-gu.Two of the boys got out of the car shortly afterward, but the other boy drove the vehicle until it crashed into a guardrail.At the request of police, the court issued an emergency accompaniment warrant for the driver under Article 14 of the Juvenile Act, which allows emergency measures to protect the juvenile concerned.The two other boys were sent home, but they and another boy allegedly stole another car on May 20 and drove it from Cheonan to Dangjin, about 50 kilometers away.Police requested emergency accompaniment warrants for the three boys involved in the second incident, and the court issued the warrants for two of them.Punishment for children under 14 rare, but possibleThe four offenders, including the three now in protective custody, are all under 14 and are exempt from criminal punishment. Such offenders are usually sent home with a warning, although those aged 10 to 13 can be subject to protective measures, including placement in a juvenile facility for up to two years.Children subject to an emergency accompaniment warrant can be immediately placed in a juvenile classification review center.Police said an increasing number of investigators have been requesting emergency accompaniment warrants in serious cases, for juveniles deemed at high risk of recidivism or when officials believe legal guardians are unable to prevent further offenses.Korea has seen an increase in cases involving criminal minors aged 10 to 13, from 11,677 in 2021 to 21,095 in 2025, according to the National Police Agency.The rise has fueled calls to lower the minimum age for criminal punishment, a debate that continues in both the public and political spheres.