Lawmakers from South Korea’s two major parties have introduced bills to amend the Criminal Act, aiming to change how the legal system handles crimes committed under mental impairment or intoxication.

The proposals come in response to public outrage over high-profile cases where individuals convicted of crimes have escaped harsher punishment after claiming that they did so under the influence of alcohol, or else blamed their actions on mental illness in a version of the insanity defense.

However, experts have questioned the necessity of the proposed legal changes and warned of the risks of mandating overly punitive measures that limit