Ministry of Justice Refutes Opposition's Claim That President Lee's Criminal Record Comment Is "Fake News"

"About 1,460 People per 100,000 Receive Guilty Verdicts"

"Truth Cannot Be Determined by National Assembly Research Service Data"

In response to the controversy surrounding President Lee Jaemyung's remark that "most ordinary citizens have a criminal record," the Ministry of Justice clarified that "court statistics show that about 1,460 people per 100,000 population received guilty verdicts." This clarification comes amid criticism from the People Power Party and others, who have labeled the president's statement as "fake news."

On April 23, the Ministry of Justice issued a press notice, pointing out that the figure cited by some opposition parties—"only about 384 people per 100,000 population received guilty verdicts in Korea in 2022"—is significantly inconsistent with the actual judicial statistics. The ministry explained that this figure appears to be based on a response from the National Assembly Research Service, which analyzed data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). However, compared to the official statistics published in the "2023 Judicial Yearbook" by the Supreme Court, the difference is substantial.

According to the Judicial Yearbook, the total number of people who received guilty verdicts in 2022 was 750,798, which translates to about 1,460 people per 100,000 population. The ministry further emphasized that it is difficult to estimate the overall size or proportion of so-called "criminal record holders"—meaning people who have ever been criminally punished at least once in their lifetime—based solely on the number of people convicted in a given year.

During a cabinet meeting on April 14, President Lee commented on the overuse of criminal punishment, saying, "Korea likely has the highest number of people with criminal records in the world," and "most people have a criminal record." In response, opposition figures such as Assemblyman Kim Seungsoo of the People Power Party cited data from the National Assembly Research Service, arguing, "In Korea, about 384 people per 100,000 population receive guilty verdicts," and countered, "Germany and Denmark have more than twice this number, while Switzerland and Australia have more than three times as many."

The Ministry of Justice also stated, "The National Assembly Research Service has never provided data on the total number or ratio of people with criminal records among Korean citizens, nor a cross-country comparative analysis of criminal record holders. Moreover, the concept and scope of a 'criminal record holder' vary by country, making direct comparison difficult." The ministry added, "Ultimately, the National Assembly Research Service's response is unrelated to determining the truth of President Lee's comments regarding criminal records."

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