Reformist scholar, noted for civic activism, nominated as justice minister

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in's pick for the justice minister is a scholar and civic activist known for his advocacy for judicial reform and economic justice, and extensive research on the country's criminal code.

Park Sang-ki, a law professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, is expected to lead Moon's drive to reform the prosecution, which critics say has wielded too much power and sometimes been affected by politics.

Since 1987, Park has taught at the university, his alma mater. Over the past decades, he has straddled both academia and civil society, asserting the need for prosecution reform and fair economic competition.

Since 2012, he has worked as a senior member of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, a local major civic group dedicated to promoting social and economic justice based on its core values of liberty, equality and democracy. This year, Park was picked as its co-chair.

Park is also well-known for his scholarly activities. He led the Korean Association of Criminology in 2004, the Korea Criminal Law Association in 2005 and the Korea Institute of Criminology from 2007-2010.

From 1998-2003, he was a member of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office body on reforming the prosecutorial system.

A native of Muan, South Jeolla Province, Park graduated from the law college of Yonsei University in 1974. He also studied law at Germany's University of Gottingen for his doctorate degree in the 1980s.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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