Silent Chu Mi-ae Urges Prosecutors and Staff via Email to Prepare for Prosecution Reform

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae arrived at the Government Seoul Office on the afternoon of the 11th to attend the major issues meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and is on the move. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Chu Mi-ae, Minister of Justice, who has recently remained silent regarding the ongoing prosecution investigation into her son's alleged 'failure to return from leave,' sent an email to all former and current prosecutors and investigators urging them to prepare for prosecutorial reform.

The Ministry of Justice announced that Minister Chu sent the email to all former and current prosecution staff on the 11th, reflecting on past experiences and urging thorough preparation ahead of the enforcement of the investigative authority reform law scheduled for January 1 next year.

In the email, Minister Chu stated, "The public's demand is to properly complete prosecutorial reform, which is being carried out for the first time since liberation." She added, "Looking back on the discussion process, there were many difficulties, but after strenuous efforts, we introduced an institutional foundation that allows judicial control over non-prosecution cases, and by unifying the jurisdiction of related laws under the Ministry of Justice, we feel a great sense of accomplishment in enabling the prosecution to properly fulfill its role as a guardian protecting human rights and justice."

She continued, "Furthermore, we have laid the groundwork to develop a new relationship with the police that transcends past organizational conflicts, fostering mutual cooperation and personal respect."

She emphasized, "Now, the prosecution must actively seek a proactive role to restore its function as a judicial controller and a bastion of human rights, moving away from the passive position of being reformed during the investigative authority reform process. Through this prosecutorial reform, establishing a new image of the prosecution that prioritizes human rights protection, building cooperative relations between the prosecution and police, and fulfilling its original roles as a human rights advocate controlling the legality of investigations and as a public prosecutor maintaining prosecutions will naturally lead to public trust."

Minister Chu also urged, "With the enforcement of various investigative authority reform laws starting January 1 next year, significant changes in the work environment are expected. The prosecution must prioritize thorough preparation for these changes."

She added, "All members of the prosecution should pay special attention to reorganizing work systems, organizations, and personnel, as well as revising manuals, to ensure that the reformed criminal justice system operates conveniently and efficiently from the public's perspective, allowing the new criminal justice system to take root early."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.