[New Year's Address] Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho: "Laid the Foundation for Prosecutorial Reform... Must Pursue Painstaking Renewal"

"Accelerating Prosecutorial Reform for the People to Restore Trust"
"Faithfully Fulfilling the Prosecution's Role to Prevent Unjust Harm to Citizens"

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho stated, "The past six months have been a period of laying the foundation for prosecutorial reform, and we must do our utmost with painstaking efforts to bring about renewal and demonstrate tangible change to the public."

In his New Year's address on the 31st, Minister Jung said, "Let us accelerate prosecutorial reform for the people and make this year one in which the prosecution is reborn as an institution the public can trust and rely on. The mission and very reason for the prosecution’s existence is to protect the people from crime. If we faithfully fulfill our fundamental role by ensuring that criminals receive punishments commensurate with their offenses and that no citizen suffers unjust harm, we will be able to restore public trust."

He added, "We must not be satisfied with what we have achieved so far, but instead show the public even more definitive change. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, 'Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.' If each of us does our best and actively tackles even the smallest tasks in our respective positions, these efforts will come together to create significant change."

Minister Jung also addressed improvements to the correctional environment. He called for "expanding parole for exemplary inmates and improving the treatment of correctional officers, so that we can create an environment where the human rights of both inmates and correctional staff are respected together."

He continued, "Let us thoroughly supervise high-risk repeat offenders and strengthen education for juvenile offenders, so that we can effectively prevent crime and design a more robust social safety net."

Regarding immigration and foreigner policies, he said, "As low birth rates, an aging population, and regional depopulation accelerate, the need to secure foreign labor and achieve social integration is growing. We must pursue policies that can respond flexibly to demographic and societal changes, while also not neglecting border management and the establishment of order in residence."