Revised Military Court Act to Take Effect on July 1... Han Dong-hoon: "Prosecutors, Prepare Thoroughly"

Military Sexual Crimes Investigated and Tried by Civilian Agencies and Courts... Crimes Committed Before Enlistment Also Included
Late Sergeant Lee Yeram Special Investigation Team Finalizes Selection of Over 80 Members... Official Work Begins on the 5th

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st of last month. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Ahead of the enforcement of the amended Military Court Act, which mandates that sexual crimes and other offenses occurring in the military be investigated and tried by civilian investigative agencies and courts, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon emphasized thorough preparation to the prosecution.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of Justice announced that Minister Han instructed the prosecution to "familiarize themselves with the work procedures to ensure that the human rights and procedural rights of the parties involved are not violated due to practical confusion" in relation to the enforcement of the amended Military Court Act.

Minister Han ordered, "Prepare thoroughly to prevent any confusion or gaps in the investigation and trial processes of related cases."

Earlier, in August last year, the National Assembly passed the amended Military Court Act, which places sexual crimes, crimes related to the deaths of soldiers, and crimes committed before enlistment under the jurisdiction of civilian investigative agencies and courts from the first trial. Crimes related to soldiers' deaths and crimes committed before enlistment are also to be handled by civilian prosecutors and courts from the first trial.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "In order to restore public trust in the military judicial system and to more thoroughly guarantee the rights of victims, especially in light of cases such as the death of an Air Force sergeant, we will do our utmost to ensure the smooth enforcement of the amended Military Court Act."

The investigation into the death of the late Sergeant Lee Ye-ram, a victim of sexual violence in the Air Force that triggered the legal amendment, will be handled by the special prosecutor team led by Ahn Mi-young. The special prosecutor's office, staffed with about 80 personnel, will begin full-scale operations from the 5th. The head of the investigation team will be Son Chan-oh, Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Division 2 at Seongnam District Prosecutors' Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 33). Along with Chief Prosecutor Son, 10 dispatched prosecutors, 30 dispatched public officials, and up to 40 special investigators will be recruited respectively.

Currently, the special prosecutor team is reviewing approximately 50,000 pages of investigation records and related materials received from the Ministry of National Defense and the National Human Rights Commission.

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