Ministry of Justice Appoints Lawyer Lee Sang-gap as Director of Human Rights Bureau... Participation in Forced Mobilization Lawsuit During Japanese Occupation

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Lawyer Lee Sang-gap has been appointed as the Director of the Human Rights Bureau at the Ministry of Justice.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Justice announced that after the final interview, it decided to appoint Lawyer Lee as the new Director of the Human Rights Bureau.

The new Director Lee majored in Political Science at Seoul National University and passed the 38th Judicial Examination in 1996, after which he worked as a lawyer. In particular, he has been actively involved in human rights legal activities, including participating in lawsuits demanding compensation from the Japanese government and companies for the victims of Hansen's disease on Sorokdo Island and forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period.

Previously, in September 2017, the Ministry of Justice appointed Lawyer Hwang Hee-seok, a member of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), as the Director of the Human Rights Bureau. However, after serving for two years, former Director Hwang resigned to run as a proportional representative candidate for the Open Democratic Party in the April 15 general election.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice opened a public recruitment for the Human Rights Bureau Director position. However, during the final candidate selection process, the appointment procedure was once canceled due to opposition from progressive civic groups.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We expect the new Director of the Human Rights Bureau to greatly contribute to improving human rights standards across various sectors of society by leading human rights policies that meet both the public’s expectations and international standards, based on his extensive field experience and expertise accumulated through his human rights legal activities."

◆ Profile of Lee Sang-gap, New Director of the Human Rights Bureau, Ministry of Justice

△ Graduated from Seoseok High School (Feb. 1986)

△ Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Political Science (Feb. 1991)

△ Completed Master’s program at Chonnam National University Graduate School of Law (Feb. 2003)

△ Passed the 38th Judicial Examination in 1996 (28th Judicial Research Course)

△ Lawyer from 1999 to 2020

△ Legal advisor for the Gwangju Metropolitan City Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (1999)

△ Member of the Hansen’s Disease Human Rights Subcommittee, Korean Bar Association (2004)

△ Case evaluation committee member, Gwangju Child Abuse Prevention Center (2005)

△ Member of the Special Committee on the Death Penalty, Korean Bar Association (2009)

△ Member of the Special Committee on Human Rights for Victims of Japanese Colonial Rule, Korean Bar Association (2011)

△ Co-representative of the Citizens’ Group for Comfort Women and Forced Labor Victims (2016)

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