Kang Sung-guk Appointed Deputy Minister of Justice: "The Prosecution's Timely Mission Is Human Rights Protection and Judicial Oversight"

Kang Seong-guk, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Justice, is delivering his inaugural speech at the inauguration ceremony held on the 14th at the Government Complex Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province. / Gwacheon = Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Kang Seong-guk, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Justice, stated, "The prosecution must remember that its role as a protector of human rights and judicial overseer is a mission of the times."

At the inauguration ceremony held on the afternoon of the 14th at the Government Complex Gwacheon, Deputy Minister Kang told prosecutors, "We must seek changes focusing on strengthening investigative cooperation between the prosecution and police following investigative authority reforms, improving organizational culture to meet public expectations, and emphasizing public interest advocacy as national lawyers."

He continued, "We must actively support young people so they can establish themselves as future growth engines, provide stronger protection for the lives of socially and economically vulnerable groups, and ensure that the public's desire for a safe daily life is reflected in justice policies."

He also added, "We must return to our original intentions and strive for fair and just law enforcement and human rights protection, as well as public safety, which everyone can empathize with."

Deputy Minister Kang is from Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, and graduated from Mokpo High School and Korea University Law School. He passed the 30th Judicial Examination in 1988 and was appointed as a judge at Gwangju District Court in 1994. Afterwards, he served as a judicial research judge at the Supreme Court and worked as a judge for 21 years at Uijeongbu District Court and Seoul Central District Court. In 2015, he opened a law practice and worked at the law firm Jipyung before being appointed as the Director of the Legal Affairs Office at the Ministry of Justice in July last year.

President Moon Jae-in nominated Deputy Minister Kang the day before. This appointment follows the previous Deputy Minister Lee Yong-gu and marks the appointment of a non-prosecutorial official.

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