Justice minister vows no pause in prosecution reform

Justice Minister Park Sang-ki said Wednesday he will not give up until he fulfills the duty of revamping the prosecution which is long blamed for being swayed by politics.

"No matter how deep you dig a well, it's nothing other than a failure unless you find water in the spring. I ask all of you to join and take the lead in completing the task toward reform to the end," he said in an inauguration speech.

Park was officially appointed by President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday. The former university professor, well-versed in civic activism, was Moon's second pick after his previous nominee, law professor Ahn Kyong-whan, quit amid mounting criticism over his ethical lapses and past sexiest remarks.

Park pledged to push reform drives to turn the ministry into a more independent administrative body away from the influence of the prosecution. He is only the second civilian to take helm of the Justice Ministry in the country's history. Most of the former ministers were picked from among prosecutors, hence giving the prosecution huge clout in the ministry as well as law enforcement.

The new justice minister said he will make his best efforts in setting up an anti-corruption body to investigate cases involving high-level public officials, one of the initiatives put forward by the Moon administration as part of its bid to stamp out irregularities in ranking public servants.

"We should ask ourselves to be stricter, with fairness and integrity," he added.

He also vowed to sternly deal with any wrongdoings, criticizing the massive corruption scandal in the defense industry currently under investigation by the prosecution.

"Corruption in the defense industry is a serious crime that hinders our military capabilities and benefits the enemy. We must root out anything that produces corruption through tougher punishment on high-profile cases," Park said.