President Lee declares end of era of 'political prosecution' as new criminal justice bodies launch

Ha Jun-kyung, the newly appointed Cheong Wa Dae policy chief, speaks at a senior presidential secretary meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Ha Jun-kyung, the newly appointed Cheong Wa Dae policy chief, speaks at a senior presidential secretary meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]

Ha Jun-kyung, the newly appointed Cheong Wa Dae policy chief, said Thursday he would do his utmost as a presidential aide to ensure that social, science and technology, and economic policies work in harmony to build "a South Korea where everyone thrives together" under the Lee Jae Myung government.

Ha made the remarks at a senior presidential secretary meeting chaired by President Lee at Cheong Wa Dae. Earlier that afternoon, President Lee appointed Ha — who had been serving as senior secretary for economic growth — to the policy chief post.

Meanwhile, with the official launch of the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency one day away, President Lee declared the opening of a new criminal justice era at the meeting. "The wrong era — in which prosecutors monopolized investigations and indictments and wielded unchecked power, and at its worst acted as a political prosecution service to eliminate and suppress political opponents — is coming to an end," he said.

He added that the drive for prosecutorial reform, which "planted its seeds under the Participatory Government and laid its framework under the Moon Jae-in government, has finally borne fruit under our people's sovereignty government." "A historic step has begun to protect the lives of our people from illegality and injustice and to more robustly safeguard their human rights," he said.

President Lee also stressed the urgency of police reform following the redistribution of investigative powers. "With this reallocation of authority, police reform will become a major task for our government going forward," he said, adding that as police powers have grown, strict external oversight and internal self-discipline must follow.

Turning to public safety and welfare indicators, President Lee called for a pan-government response to youth suicide. He noted that workplace fatality figures for the first half of this year had hit their lowest level since records began — "truly welcome news" — and that overall suicide deaths were showing a meaningful downward trend. "Regrettably, however, youth suicide rates have barely declined, driven in part by academic stress, and that weighs heavily on me," he said.

President Lee said the gains made in reducing workplace deaths and overall suicides must translate into real decreases in youth suicide, disaster-related deaths, and deaths from isolation and crime. "We must carefully examine and reinforce all relevant measures," he said, calling for "a comprehensive approach that cuts across ministerial boundaries and encompasses all related matters."

If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.


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