Juvenile sex offenders rise 11-fold in decade

The number of juveniles committing sex offenses against other minors has jumped 11-fold in 10 years, court data showed Wednesday, indicating that enhanced measures are needed to discipline and protect youth.

A total of 609 adolescents aged 10-18 were convicted by juvenile courts last year for committing sex offenses against minors under 19 years old, more than 11 times higher than 60 in 2002, according to the data compiled by the Supreme Court.

The report comes as the government toughened penalties for adult sex offenders while wrestling with how to handle juvenile offenders, in the wake of a recent string of violent sex crimes in the country.

Also, the number of youth offenders convicted for sex-related crimes, including prostitution, rape and sexual harassment, came to 1,836 in 2011, up more than three times from 600 in 2002.

Meanwhile, the number of adult offenders standing trial for sex crimes has been hovering around the 2,000 mark in the last 10 years, data showed.

The number of adult defendants indicted for rape and sexual molestation edged up from 1,981 to 2,337 in the same period, it added. (Yonhap)