Yoon Administration's First Deputy Minister of Justice Ino Gong: "Do Your Best to Uphold Human Rights and Establish Legal Order"

This Vice Minister "Strives to Assist the Minister in Realizing Law Administration Based on Fairness and Common Sense"

Inogong, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Justice, is delivering his inaugural speech at the inauguration ceremony held at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon on the afternoon of the 13th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Lee Nogong, the first Deputy Minister of Justice under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration (age 53, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 26), said, "Please do your best in the Ministry of Justice's fundamental mission of protecting the people's human rights and establishing legal order."

At the inauguration ceremony held on the afternoon of the 13th at the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Deputy Minister Lee stated, "Please keep your balance in your respective positions and focus solely on the people."

He added, "Each procedure and outcome of your work can either become the foundation of trust in the entire Ministry of Justice or the seed of distrust," and urged, "Please take ownership of all your tasks and carefully attend to them with sincerity."

He continued, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility as I take on this important role during difficult times," and added, "I will do my utmost to assist the Minister so that the true form of justice administration based on fairness and common sense can be realized."

Deputy Minister Lee began his career as a prosecutor in 1997. In 2018, when President Yoon Seok-yeol was the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Lee became the first female Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the 4th Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The following year, he was promoted to head of the Seongnam branch office, a typical stepping stone to becoming a chief prosecutor.

He has held key positions within the prosecution, including prosecutor at the Ministry of Justice's Legal Affairs Office, head of the Criminal Division 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, head of the Trial Division 3 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of the Yeongdong branch of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, head of the Criminal Division 3 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, and deputy chief prosecutor at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office.

Deputy Minister Lee, who was a strong candidate for promotion to chief prosecutor, submitted his resignation and left the prosecution after being sidelined in the first personnel reshuffle conducted by former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae in 2020. He then moved to become a partner lawyer at the law firm Sejong.

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