[New Year's Address] Park Cheolwoo, Seoul Central Chief Prosecutor: "Prosecution Urgently Needs Reflection... Must Examine Organization Objectively"

On January 2, Park Cheolwoo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, stated regarding discussions on prosecutorial reform, "We need an attitude of reflection to objectively examine whether we are still bound by old practices or biases."

Park Cheolwoo, the newly appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, delivers his inauguration speech at the 66th inauguration ceremony held at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on November 21, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongju

In his New Year's address released that day, Chief Prosecutor Park said, "For our excellent traditions and organizational culture to become a means of change and to be recognized by the public, only one thing needs to be added: reflection," emphasizing, "We must objectively examine ourselves and our organization."

Chief Prosecutor Park remarked, "The year 2025 was a period of rebuilding the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea, and more than ever, it was a time of change and pain, with the momentum for prosecutorial reform at its peak. It was also a time when all members of the prosecution suffered from a sense of deprivation and injustice, as if all the passion they had poured in was being completely denied."

Quoting British thinker Edmund Burke, who said, "A nation without the means of change is without the means of its preservation," he stressed that the prosecution also needs change.

Chief Prosecutor Park said, "However, for an excellent organizational culture to become a means of change and to be recognized by the public, only one thing needs to be added: reflection." He continued, "We must examine whether there were any words or actions, even unconsciously, that could have seemed arrogant, whether there was excess or deficiency, whether decisions were made simply to avoid responsibility, or whether we were complacent or stuck in old habits."

He also added, "When each and every member adopts a 'reflective mindset,' the organizational culture that has been formed over decades will become an excellent means to transform the prosecution," and urged, "Please do not forget that every member is the main agent of change in the prosecution."