Minister Park Beom-gye's First Directive: "Prosecutors Must Strictly Respond to Ignoring Quarantine Measures"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Park Beom-gye, the newly appointed Minister of Justice, has ordered the prosecution to take strict action against violations of quarantine regulations. As his first directive after starting his term, he stated that "COVID-19 quarantine is a matter of public livelihood." For his first official schedule, he chose to visit Seoul Eastern Detention Center, where a mass infection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) occurred, instead of the National Cemetery.

On the 28th, Minister Park announced the start of his term through social networking services (SNS) and wrote as follows. He emphasized, "The prosecution must consider violations that evade or ignore the quarantine authorities' measures as offenses infringing on public livelihood and respond strictly."

The decision to visit Eastern Detention Center as his first schedule is in the same context. Minister Park stated during the confirmation hearing, "As soon as I am appointed minister, I will go to Eastern Detention Center to have a time of listening." The purpose is to examine the reasons for the large-scale infections and the issue of overcrowding. Even immediately after his nomination, he identified 'understanding the current status of COVID-19 in detention facilities and preparing countermeasures' as a priority task. He also met with the head of the Ministry of Justice Correction Headquarters to grasp the situation.

There is a possibility that additional quarantine measures within correctional facilities will be announced on-site that day. Before the briefing, Minister Park is scheduled to make remarks and may present 'COVID-19 countermeasures for inmates in correctional facilities,' which he has been preparing since his candidacy.

Moreover, the deadline for normalizing the operation of Eastern Detention Center is less than a week away. Previously, the Ministry of Justice announced that if no additional confirmed cases occur two weeks after the last confirmed case at Eastern Detention Center, the operation of the center will be normalized. The staff member who tested positive on the 23rd had been in self-quarantine since the 10th of this month and was not counted as a confirmed case after the 20th.

Additional parole measures will also be implemented soon to reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities, and Minister Park must directly inspect the scale and targets of parole.

Although the final judgment of the quarantine authorities is required, under the current standards, normal operation could resume as early as late next week. Once operations normalize, the kitchen will operate, and inmates' exercise, bathing, and lawyer visits will resume. Judicial schedules such as trials will also be normalized in consultation with the courts.

Meanwhile, Minister Park's term began at midnight on the day of appointment approval by President Moon Jae-in. The official inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held in the afternoon at the Ministry of Justice.