[New Year's Address] Han Dong-hoon "Resolutely Respond to Anti-Legal Acts... We Must Build a Safe Country"

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, emphasized in his New Year's address on the 31st to department members, "Let us resolutely respond to acts against the rule of law and establish legal order."

Reflecting on the past seven months since his appointment, Minister Han said, "The internal and external conditions surrounding our Ministry of Justice are difficult," adding, "The global economic recession continues, and concerns about the nation's future are rising due to a declining working-age population caused by low birth rates and aging, regional extinction, and manpower shortages in small and medium-sized enterprises."

He also stated, "Despite repeated violent acts and illegal collective actions for the benefit of certain groups, the law is not being properly enforced," and "Crimes threatening the daily lives of citizens, such as drugs, voice phishing, and stalking, continue unabated."

Amid this, the Ministry of Justice emphasized a firm response to acts against the rule of law as the direction to take in the new year. He said, "We must no longer tolerate illegal collective actions that hold the national economy and public inconvenience hostage, nor the organized illegal acts of interest groups prevalent in industrial sites, such as forced hiring, extortion, and obstruction of construction."

"Acts that obstruct legitimate law enforcement by illegal means must be dealt with strictly under the principle of zero tolerance, regardless of status or position," he added, "and the public now expects this."

He also said, "Acts that infringe on others' privacy and dignity, such as the organized and malicious dissemination of false information to pursue political interests or private gain, must not be overlooked."

In particular, he noted, "We must actively respond to various forms of threatening crimes that damage human dignity, such as online witch hunts using mass power and group bullying through ‘johpyojjikgi’ (targeting individuals online)."

Minister Han also called for building a country safe from crime. To reduce social anxiety caused by the release of high-risk sex offenders, he said, "It is time to actively consider groundbreaking measures such as introducing the U.S. ‘Jessica Law,’ which restricts residence near child facilities, adapted to our country's environment and reality, and raising the statutory minimum sentences to make social reintegration more difficult." He described this as "a task that can no longer be postponed."

He reiterated the "war on drug crimes" that he has emphasized several times. Minister Han said, "The spread of drugs, which destroys families, neighbors, and communities, must be stopped," adding, "We must strongly crack down and punish drug distribution networks thoroughly through the ‘Special Drug Crime Investigation Team’ and the ‘Dark Web Task Force.’" He also said, "Furthermore, counseling and rehabilitation support for preventing recidivism should be carried out simultaneously to quickly restore our status as a drug-free country." He added, "If we start now and fight like in a war, we can definitely stop it. Let's make sure we succeed."

He then called for rooting out organized violent crime as well. He urged strict responses to crimes that disturb citizens' daily lives, such as jeonse fraud, voice phishing, stalking, and digital sex crimes, saying, "That is the most basic of basics."

Minister Han said, "Let us proactively prepare for future changes by newly establishing our immigration and entry-exit management system," and "Let us devote all our efforts to building a legal order infrastructure that leads future prosperity." He also conveyed the need to enhance international legal capabilities to smoothly respond to increasingly sharp and diverse international disputes.