The ministry said the appointments were confirmed at a ceremony held May 7 at its headquarters in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. It said it moved up the selection process and expanded hiring compared with previous years to address a shortage of prosecutors.
Of the 86 bar-exam hires, the ministry said it has run a strict, multi-step screening process since last year for law school students, including document reviews, practical-record evaluations, personality tests, and assessments of job and organizational competencies. The group included 41 men and 45 women.
The share of lateral hires rose sharply. The ministry appointed 48 experienced legal professionals this year, double last year’s 24 and far above the three selected in each of 2022 and 2023.
The ministry said it recruited candidates with at least two years of experience across fields including government agencies, courts, law firms, the Financial Supervisory Service, police, and companies, aiming to strengthen expertise and ease staffing strains.
To speed up handling of a growing criminal caseload and add momentum to the organization, the ministry said it began the lateral-hire selection process about three months earlier than usual, reflecting calls from front-line offices for more prosecutors. It said the candidates completed a transparency review that included a recent two-week public disclosure of the roster. The lateral hires include 31 men and 17 women.
At the ceremony, Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho urged the new prosecutors to uphold fairness in law enforcement and protect human rights, and to use their varied experience to help the prosecution service earn public trust.
The new prosecutors will enter the Justice Ministry’s training institute immediately for practical instruction. Training will vary by background: bar-exam hires will complete about five months of intensive training, including on-the-job practice at prosecutors’ offices, while experienced legal professionals will take about two months of focused training before being assigned to duties.
The share of lateral hires rose sharply. The ministry appointed 48 experienced legal professionals this year, double last year’s 24 and far above the three selected in each of 2022 and 2023.
The ministry said it recruited candidates with at least two years of experience across fields including government agencies, courts, law firms, the Financial Supervisory Service, police, and companies, aiming to strengthen expertise and ease staffing strains.
To speed up handling of a growing criminal caseload and add momentum to the organization, the ministry said it began the lateral-hire selection process about three months earlier than usual, reflecting calls from front-line offices for more prosecutors. It said the candidates completed a transparency review that included a recent two-week public disclosure of the roster. The lateral hires include 31 men and 17 women.
At the ceremony, Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho urged the new prosecutors to uphold fairness in law enforcement and protect human rights, and to use their varied experience to help the prosecution service earn public trust.
The new prosecutors will enter the Justice Ministry’s training institute immediately for practical instruction. Training will vary by background: bar-exam hires will complete about five months of intensive training, including on-the-job practice at prosecutors’ offices, while experienced legal professionals will take about two months of focused training before being assigned to duties.
A ministry official said bringing in people from diverse backgrounds would enable more well-rounded investigations and decision-making, adding that the ministry will continue to secure strong legal talent in a timely way to provide high-quality criminal justice services.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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