“A road never taken before”… Joo Min-cheol, the first head of the Daegu Metropolitan Public Prosecution Office, emphasizes human rights protection

“A road never taken before”… Emphasis on human rights protection

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Seon-hyung = Min-cheol Joo, the first head of the Daegu Metropolitan Public Prosecution Office, said on the 2nd, "The Public Prosecution Office must focus more on its role as a human rights protection agency to ensure that people who are unfairly investigated or under long-term investigation do not have their human rights violated during the investigation process."

On the first day of his inauguration, Commissioner Joo started work without a separate inauguration ceremony and visited the press corps and said this.

When asked whether the Public Prosecution Office, which has no investigative authority, can play a role in protecting human rights during the investigation process, he explained, "If the records are left unjustly for a long period of time, we may request a replacement of the investigator by having the records transferred. Even if a case has been transferred from an investigative agency to the Public Prosecution Office for indictment, if it is unfair, we can boldly decide not to indict it."

He continued, “The purpose of the investigation is not only the investigation itself, but ultimately guarantees prosecution,” and emphasized, “We will focus on the original work that the Public Prosecution Office should do.”

Regarding the role of the Public Prosecution Office, they cited determining whether to prosecute accurately, maintaining prosecution, and protecting victims.

Commissioner Joo said, “We must cooperate with investigative agencies to ensure successful prosecution and create a good cooperative relationship with the special judicial police to make up for any shortcomings,” and added, “We must also look at how to receive help from investigative agencies in the process of maintaining prosecution and how to thoroughly protect victims.”

He added, "We need to see whether we can play our role as a human rights protection agency by controlling those areas that are unfairly indicted or investigated unfairly," and added, "I think maintaining prosecutions well is also a big role."

Regarding the new criminal justice system, it was stated that it would minimize confusion and problems that arise during the implementation process.

He said, “It is difficult now to estimate how the image of the system we imagined in our heads will match the actual operating situation and what problems will arise,” and added, “We are taking a path we have never taken before.”

He also said, "Since there are multiple investigative agencies, we need to see how to negotiate between agencies and whether each entity is ready to exercise its existing capabilities. We will do our best to ensure that the new system is operated in accordance with the purpose of the reform without causing inconvenience to the public."