JUSTICE MINISTER PLEDGES STERN MEASURES AGAINST ELECTION-LAW VIOLATORS

Justice Minister Kim Jung-kil spoke with Korea Herald City Desk Editor
Kang Sung-chul yesterday on the ministry's law enforcement policies
and other major programs. Following are excerpts from the interview:

Question: What do you view as the foremost guiding principle of your
ministry? Answer: Society is moving into an information age characterized by
an increased dependence on cyberspace as a medium for human interaction.
This will lead to revolutionary changes in human civilization, affecting the
economic, political, social and cultural spheres as well as our value
systems.

Especially on the economic front, the Internet revolution has fostered
an atmosphere of limitless competition among the countries of the
world. Against this backdrop, creativity and imagination are becoming
the most highly valued industrial virtues.

The Justice Ministry will take into account these changes in
guaranteeing the fair and transparent implementation and enforcement
of laws.

Q: What measures is the ministry taking to enhance the public's
law-abiding spirit and safeguard basic human rights? A: For the nation
to join the ranks of the most democratic countries, it must firmly
establish the principle of respect for the law. As a way of realizing
this goal, the ministry will try to abolish or revise laws containing
regulations that run counter to contemporary reality. We will also
take steps to ensure that anyone who violates the law is brought to
justice. Particular emphasis will be placed on rooting out corruption
involving public officials.

Let's turn to human rights issues. We have already taken a number of
steps to improve human rights conditions. First of all, we abolished a
decades-old system that required National Security Law violators to
sign letters of ideological conversion. We also removed restrictions
that had barred labor unions and civic organizations from
participating in politics.

We prepared a basic human rights bill last year, but it has not yet
been enacted. This year, the ministry will push for legislation that
would lead to the establishment of a human rights commission. The
commission would be given the task of investigating civil rights
violations, as stipulated in international treaties. I daresay that
the contents of the bill compare favorably with those of similar laws
in New Zealand, Australia and other advanced countries. The
legislation and inauguration of the commission would contribute to
greatly expanding the people's basic rights and enhancing the nation's
international reputation as a country that takes great pains to
safeguard human rights.

The ministry also plans to drastically expand free legal aid for
farmers, fishermen, the urban poor, the disabled and other
underprivileged groups.

Q: What measures are planned to improve the human rights situation for
prisoners and help them reintegrate themselves into society once they
are released? A: In terms of external prison conditions, we plan to
have all cells at the nation's 43 prisons and detention houses
steam-heated by next year. In addition, from 2003, inmates will no
longer have to suffer from the offensive odor of toilets that do not
flush as all cells will be equipped with flush toilets by the end of
next year.

Regarding the rehabilitative aspect of prisons, our aim is to help
reform inmates such that they have a fresh and healthy outlook on life
and offer various vocational school courses to help them more easily
adapt to society. Currently, prisoners can get training in 63
different kinds of jobs, including animation, computer repair and 10
others that were recently added.

In addition, inmates will be allowed to let their hair grow out like
ordinary people from July and those in custody will stand trial in
street clothes rather than prison-issue clothing. Furthermore,
exemplary prisoners are already allowed to commute to jobs outside
their prisons.

Q: Would you elaborate on the Justice Ministry's policies on juvenile
delinquents under detention? A: We regard juvenile detention centers
as educational facilities rather than as penitentiaries. That's why
all of the detention centers have been renamed as "schools." We
consider English and computer knowledge as the most indispensable
skills for living in the 21st century. Accordingly, from last
September, we began to equip juvenile detention centers with computers
and English language labs. By the end of this month, a total of 916
Pentium-powered computers will be installed at 12 detention centers
nationwide. We also hired 27 native speakers to conduct English
language classes.

Our hope is that the students in these facilities will regain their
self-confidence by learning English and computers and that this will
keep them from committing further crimes. In addition, providing an
education to these young people ultimately benefits society because
these students have the potential to become valuable human resources
in the future.

Q: How will the ministry handle election-law violators? A: As
campaigning for the 16th National Assembly elections has become
overheated, there have been many complaints and accusations among
candidates. We have also received reports of brokers and voters
demanding cash or gifts from candidates, and of campaigners using
violence against election monitors.

We are now mobilizing all available law-enforcement authorities to
crack down on election-law violators so as to ensure a fair and clean
election.

The prosecution will promptly and thoroughly investigate all suspected
election-law violations and refer any and all suspected violators to
trial.

Q: What complementary steps are planned for ethnic Koreans from China,
who are by and large prevented from enjoying the rights granted to
overseas Koreans under the Law on Exit and Entry and Legal Status for
Overseas Koreans? A: The law went into effect Dec. 3, 1999. It is a
landmark law which, to the greatest extent possible, enables overseas
Koreans to freely engage in economic activities in Korea by easing
various regulations related to them. However, in defining the scope of
"Koreans living overseas," we had to take into consideration the
diplomatic concerns raised by some countries. As a result, we limited
"overseas Koreans" to mean only those who have held citizenship in the
Republic of Korea since its government was established in 1948,
thereby excluding ethnic Koreans from China.

To redress the sense of rejection and isolation felt by many ethnic
Koreans in China, we have come up with follow-up measures that ease
the process of entering Korea and earning Korean citizenship, as well
as improving working conditions for those who come looking for jobs.

Q: Could you explain the initiative in detail? A: First of all, we
have expanded their opportunities to earn Korean citizenship:

- - First-generation ethnic Koreans with the means to earn a living,
along with their spouses and unmarried offspring, can apply for Korean
citizenship.

- - Ethnic Koreans of all ages who have siblings in Korea can apply
along with their spouses and unmarried offspring.

- - For Korean Chinese, the ministry will apply flexible criteria on
gaining Korean citizenship based on humanitarian considerations.

Secondly, we have eased entry regulations for ethnic Koreans. Now, all
first-generation Korean-Chinese are free to visit their homeland. We
lowered the age limit for those wishing to visit relatives here to 50
or older from 55 or older.

We also decided to exempt from punishment those Korean Chinese who
voluntarily leave Korea within a government-set grace period. We also
abolished regulations banning their reentry and authorized extended
stays for anyone awaiting compensation for work-related injuries.

We recently increased the quota for ethnic Koreans from China in
government-run industrial trainee programs from 15 percent to 20 percent.

The ministry is also aggressively working to provide ways for illegal
ethnic Koreans, mostly laborers, to claim their due rights such as the
payment of back wages.

There are about 144,000 illegal foreigners in Korea, including about
50,000 ethnic Koreans from China. The problem of illegal residents is
a very serious social issue, but in tackling it, we must consider
social, cultural and numerous other factors.

Q: Could you provide our readers with a little more information about
the ministry's efforts to protect the rights of Koreans living
overseas? A: Our ministry has long worked to enhance the status and
alleviate legal concerns for Koreans living abroad. Taking last year
as an example, we provided speedy and expedient legal counseling on
over 94 occasions by fax and e-mail. Furthermore, our legal counselors
dispatched overseas provided "roaming legal services" on over 10 occasions.

Starting in May this year, the ministry will newly open a "legal
counseling Web site for Koreans overseas" in order to provide improved
legal services and information.

Also, to raise the status of Korean residents in Japan, Justice
Ministry officials participate in annual talks between the two foreign
ministry's director-generals in charge of Asian affairs.

Q: Some civic groups have complained that the government is not paying
due attention to foreigners seeking international refugee status. How
do you respond to such claims? A: Korea is a democratic country that
respects human rights. The government is ready to grant refugee status
to anyone that meets the requirements.

Since 1994, 54 foreign nationals have applied for refugee status.
Applications by 41 were dismissed and 10 others withdrew their
requests. Currently, three applications are being screened.

I should note that in most cases, the applicants made false statements
or failed to present evidence to back their claims. So far, the
applicants have often turned out to be individuals who simply
overstayed their visas. They filed their requests simply in order to
legally extend their stays here.

We are doing our best to protect the human rights of not only Koreans
but also foreigners staying in Korea. In line with this principle,
even when the government rejects a foreigner's application for refugee
status, we do not deport him immediately. We give him a grace period
out of humanitarian considerations.

Q: Could you outline the ministry's policy simplifying entry and exit
procedures for group travelers? A: In anticipation of a dramatic
increase in international travelers for Visit Korea Year 2001 and the
2002 World Cup, the Justice Ministry will enforce from this May a
measure simplifying entry and exit procedures for those traveling in
groups. Under this policy, travel groups made up of 10 or more people
with the same itinerary and using the same flights will be exempt from
the obligation to submit individual entry and exit cards to the
immigration office. Instead, travel agents and airline companies will
be required to submit lists of their group travelers for preliminary
screening to immigration authorities a day ahead of their arrival or
departure. The ministry expects the move to help minimize
inconvenience to travelers by drastically shortening the time needed
for immigration processing from the present 1 minute or so to less
than 20 seconds per person.

Q: What measures have you come up with to counter a sharp increase in
drug offenders? A: Drug-related crimes are on a steady rise, with over
10,000 apprehended for violations of narcotics laws last year alone.
There also has been an increase in the quantity of foreign narcotics
smuggled into the country. To effectively counter these developments,
we feel it's urgent to draw up a pan-government anti-drug plan. We are
currently working on expanding the functions of an existing anti-drug
council of related organizations at the Supreme Public Prosecutor's
Office to one that involves the whole government. We are also hoping
to establish a powerful narcotics investigation team, one like the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The Ministry of Justice also plans to seek the revision of a related
law to give generous awards to citizens who report drug-related crimes
to law-enforcement authorities.

In consultation with related organizations, we are also promoting
expansion of the budget to purchase state-of-the-art drug detectors
and build a more scientific investigative system.