Justice Minister nominee signals drastic reforms

The justice minister nominee on Monday signaled bold steps to reform law enforcement.

“There is now a social consensus that the Justice Ministry doesn’t have to be filled by excellent prosecutors,” Ahn Kyong-whan told reporters near his residence in southern Seoul.

A former head of the nation’s human rights watchdog with no ties to the established powers, Ahn has been nominated by President Moon Jae-in with a mission to reform the prosecution. 

“Prosecutors have traditionally played huge roles in the Justice Ministry, but there are many other things to do for the ministry,” the nominee said.

So far, the Justice Ministry’s high-ranking posts have been dominated by state prosecutors, which critics have said undermines the system of checks and balances between the ministry and prosecutors.

The Justice Ministry’s role is to oversee the prosecution and its administration and personnel.

“I think freeing the ministry from the prosecution’s pressure means that the ministry places officials from various backgrounds in key posts to offer various services to the public.”

If Ahn becomes justice minister following a parliamentary confirmation process, he is likely to strongly push to realize Moon’s pledge to overhaul the state prosecution to free it from the political pressure.

The prosecution has long been accused of holding too much power with exclusive rights to arrest and indict. It has drawn criticism in its recent investigations into the corruption scandal that led to former President Park Geun-hye’s ouster for being lenient in favor of the government and politically motivated.

Ahn is seen as the best bet to work with Cho Kuk, the new presidential secretary for civil affairs and a vocal reformist, to push for a sweeping revamp of the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)