Special Lecture by Expert on Juvenile Cases Invited by Supreme Prosecutors' Office... Former Seoul Juvenile Detention Center Director Song Hwa-sook as Lecturer

On the morning of the 30th, Song Hwa-sook, former director of the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center, is seen giving a lecture at a special seminar titled "Creating Hope Together," held in the large conference room on the 6th floor of the National Digital Forensic Center (NDFC) in Seocho-dong, Seoul.
Photo by Choi Seok-jin

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution held a special lecture to explore guidance measures considering the characteristics of juveniles.

On the morning of the 30th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held a special lecture titled "Hope We Build Together" at the 6th-floor conference room of the National Digital Forensic Center (NDFC) in Seocho-dong, Seoul, attended by about 40 staff members including Lee Won-seok, nominee for Prosecutor General, and Hwang Byung-joo, head of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The invited speaker was Song Hwa-sook, former director of the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center, known as the godmother of juvenile inmates.

Song, who began her correctional work in 1986 as an English teacher at the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center (Ministry of Justice Protection Grade 7), went on to serve as director of the Gwangju Juvenile Classification and Examination Center (2005), inaugural director of the Ansan Youth Delinquency Prevention Center (2007), director of the Anyang Juvenile Detention Center (2010), director of the Incheon Probation Office (2014), head of administrative support at the Ministry of Justice Treatment and Custody Center (2015), and in 2016 became the first woman to be appointed as a Grade 2 senior public official and director of the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center.

During her tenure as director of the Gwangju Juvenile Classification and Examination Center, she introduced the "Pre-Prosecutor Decision Investigation" system for the first time. While serving as director of the Ansan Youth Delinquency Prevention Center, she developed and implemented "five educational programs by type." Additionally, as director of the Anyang Juvenile Detention Center, she conducted the "Hope Helper Project" to support the social settlement of juvenile inmates, achieving notable results.

Having devoted over 30 years to juvenile protection administration until her retirement in December 2018, Song analyzed the developmental characteristics and risk factors of juvenile delinquency comprehensively during her lecture, introducing various educational methods and systems that led to practical changes in juvenile offenders, such as experience-centered character education and a communal child-rearing system.

The communal child-rearing system is a multi-party protection system that builds a guidance system for juveniles involving homeroom teachers, juvenile protection committee members, probation offices, and community institutions and organizations.

Song began her lecture with the story of the Anyangcheon Stream, which was damaged by recent floods.

She said, "Seeing the tilted tree supports after the flood, I thought of delinquent juveniles," emphasizing that society must play a supportive role so that delinquent juveniles can regain hope.

She also shared a story from when she was an English teacher at the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center in 1986, about a delinquent juvenile she was in charge of who gradually adapted to society. The student's words, "I didn't want to disappoint my teacher," stayed with her for life and became the reason she devoted her career to correctional work.

At the end of the lecture, she introduced counseling cases, mentioning that after retiring from public office, she operates a counseling center to do what she is most confident in.

During the Q&A session following the lecture, Song Mo, a researcher in the Criminal Division, asked about the vocational training process for juvenile inmates, specifically "What are the most preferred jobs among today's youth, and how are instructors recruited?"

In response, Song said, "The jobs preferred by inmates change with the times. In the past, many trained in technical fields mainly classified as 3D jobs such as automobile maintenance, welding, and driving. However, with changing times, in the 2000s, they focused on PC repair and computer game development, and nowadays, they generally prefer service occupations such as baking, pastry making, and barista work."

She added, "We try to educate based on the children's preferences, but there are limitations. The number of juvenile detention center students is not large, and there are budgetary and other issues in accommodating diverse demands." She also said, "Instructors with expertise in each field are specially hired as professional career officers."

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated, "In a situation where public interest in proper juvenile offender guidance is high, this special lecture was organized to invite experts to share experiences overcoming difficulties in juvenile guidance and to seek desirable guidance, rehabilitation, and effective response measures to juvenile crime."

Following the "National Juvenile Dedicated Prosecutors Workshop" held in July, the prosecution held this special lecture and plans to conduct training for prosecutors dedicated to juvenile cases to strengthen expertise, as well as develop and implement diverse and practical guidance and rehabilitation programs.

A representative of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "Going forward, we will continue to promote strict responses to serious crimes committed by juveniles and practical guidance and rehabilitation for crime prevention so that juveniles, the future of our society, can grow into healthy members."

This special lecture by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is the second, following the lecture on "Artificial Intelligence and Legal Tech" held on the 20th of last month, featuring legal tech expert Lim Young-ik, CEO of Intellicon Law Office.

Lee Won-seok, nominee for Prosecutor General, attended and listened attentively from the beginning to the end of the lecture, as he did at the first lecture.

On the morning of the 30th, after the special lecture titled "Creating Hope Together" held in the large conference room on the 6th floor of the National Digital Forensic Center (NDFC) in Seocho-dong, Seoul, the invited lecturer Song Hwa-sook, former director of the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center, and Lee Won-seok, nominee for Prosecutor General, along with other attendees, are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Choi Seok-jin

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