South Korean police have taken the rare step of placing three 12-year-old boys in juvenile facilities after they allegedly stole cars and drove without licences in two separate incidents within a week, underscoring growing concern over serious offences committed by children too young to face criminal prosecution.

Police in Cheonan, a city about 90km south of Seoul, said on June 17 that the boys had been placed in juvenile protection facilities following a series of car thefts in May.

“These days, even in cases involving children below the age of criminal responsibility, we tend to apply immediately for emergency accompaniment warrants if the case is serious, there is a risk of reoffending or it is difficult for guardians to manage the child,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.

The four boys involved in the incidents have been identified only by the initials A, B, C and D because they are minors.

According to Yonhap, the boys are all aged 12.

On May 13, A, B and C allegedly stole an unlocked SUV from an underground car park at a flat complex in Cheonan and drove it through the city.