Ministry of Justice Passes 38 Civil Welfare Bills in First Year of New Administration

Protection for Stalking Victims, Amendments to the Act on the Recovery of Corrupt Assets, and More

Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

The Ministry of Justice has passed 38 civil welfare and public safety bills in the National Assembly during the first year since the new administration took office.

According to the Ministry of Justice on May 28, a total of 79 bills under its jurisdiction have passed the National Assembly plenary session over the past three years. Of these, 38 bills—accounting for 48.1% of the total—were passed in the past year alone. This represents a sharp increase of 65% compared to the same period last year and over 111% compared to the same period two years ago.

In March, the Ministry introduced a “Stalking Victim Protection Order” system, allowing victims to directly request protective measures from the court without going through investigative agencies. A system was also established to provide real-time location information of perpetrators, thereby strengthening the prevention of retaliatory crimes. The scope of 1:1 dedicated probation for high-risk sex offenders was expanded regardless of the victim’s age, and a new provision was established to impose fines on child abuse perpetrators who fail to comply with temporary measures.

There have also been improvements to better protect victims’ rights, such as expanding the provision of state-appointed attorneys for victims of serious crimes like murder or robbery, and strengthening the right of crime victims to access and copy court records.

The Ministry has also moved to overhaul outdated legal systems. It revised the “familial exemption from punishment” clause, which previously allowed offenders to avoid punishment because of family ties, to reflect the current reality, and comprehensively amended the Civil Code to restrict inheritance by unfilial heirs, among other changes.

In the area of public welfare and the economy, the statutory penalties for fraud crimes, such as jeonse fraud, were increased to provide a firm legal basis for strict enforcement. Amendments to the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act now allow small business owners to access detailed breakdowns of management fees.

Amendments to the Commercial Act aimed at boosting economic activity were also promoted, resulting in the introduction of a duty of loyalty for directors and making share buyback and cancellation mandatory. Legal grounds were also strengthened for the state to confiscate and recover criminal proceeds from crimes targeting ordinary citizens, such as voice phishing and illegal private lending, and return them to victims.

Notably, last month, the Ministry established the institutional foundation to reinstate the “Committee for the Investigation of Pro-Japanese Property.” This will allow the state to recover not only assets acquired through pro-Japanese anti-national acts but also the profits descendants gain from disposing of such assets. Recovered assets will be prioritized for the welfare of independence patriots and their bereaved families.

Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho stated, “Since the launch of the current administration, the Ministry of Justice’s top priorities have been ensuring the public’s safety in daily life and restoring the people’s economy. We will continue to deliver legislative achievements that protect citizens’ lives and ease public hardships.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.