# Ministry of Justice (South Korea)

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ; Korean: 법무부; Hanja: 法務部) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of South Korea that oversees the justice and legal affairs, protection of human rights, crime prevention and immigration control. It is headed by the minister of justice. The ministry contains organization and agency such as Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea and Korea Correctional Service. It is headquartered in Building 1 of the Gwacheon Government Complex [ko] in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Established on July 17, 1948, the Ministry of Justice is the only ministry whose name has never been changed or altered in the history of the Republic of Korea.

## Organization

According to the Decree on the Organization of Ministry of Justice and Institutions under its Jurisdiction, MOJ comprises the General Service Division, Legal Affairs Office, Criminal Affairs Bureau, Crime Prevention Policy Bureau, Human Rights Bureau, Korea Correctional Service, and Korea Immigration Service.

### Leadership offices

* Minister
** Inspector General
** Spokesperson
** Office of Policy and Planning
** Policy Advisor to the Minister
* Vice Minister
** General Services Division

### Bureaus and services

* Planning & Coordination Bureau
* Legal Affairs Bureau
* Criminal Affairs Bureau
* Crime Prevention Policy Bureau
* Human Rights Bureau
* Korea Correctional Service
* Korea Immigration Service

## Child agency

* Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea

## List of ministers

| No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | President | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President | Ref. |
| 1 | | Lee In | 2 August 1948 | 5 June 1949 | 307 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 2 | | Gwon Seung-ryeol | 6 June 1949 | 21 May 1950 | 349 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 3 | | Lee Woo-ik | 22 May 1950 | 22 November 1950 | 184 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 4 | | Kim Chun-yon | 23 November 1950 | 6 May 1951 | 164 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 5 | | Cho Chin-man | 7 May 1951 | 4 March 1952 | 302 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 6 | | Seo Sang-hwan [ko] | 5 March 1952 | 29 June 1954 | 2 years, 116 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 7 | | Jo Yong-soon [ko] | 30 June 1954 | 15 September 1955 | 1 year, 77 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 8 | | Lee Ho [ko] | 16 September 1955 | 19 February 1958 | 2 years, 156 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 9 | | Hong Jin-ki | 20 February 1958 | 23 March 1960 | 2 years, 32 days | Syngman Rhee | |
| 10 | | Gwon Seung-ryeol | 25 April 1960 | 19 August 1960 | 116 days | Heo Jeong (acting) | |
| 11 | | Jo Jae-chun [ko] | 23 August 1960 | 2 May 1961 | 252 days | Yun Bo-seon | |
| 12 | | Lee Byoung-ha [ko] | 3 May 1961 | 18 May 1961 | 15 days | Yun Bo-seon | |
| 13 | | Goh Won-jeung [ko] | 20 May 1961 | 8 January 1962 | 234 days | Yun Bo-seon | |
| 14 | | Jo Byoung-il [ko] | 9 January 1962 | 31 January 1963 | 1 year, 22 days | Park Chung-hee (acting) | |
| 15 | | Jang Young-soon [ko] | 1 February 1963 | 21 April 1963 | 79 days | Park Chung-hee (acting) | |
| 16 | | Min Bok-ki [ko] | 22 April 1963 | ????? | | Park Chung-hee (acting) | |
| 17 | | Min Bok-ki [ko] | ????? | ????? | | Park Chung-hee | |
| 18 | | Min Bok-ki [ko] | ????? | 25 September 1966 | | Park Chung-hee | |
| 19 | | Kwon Oh-byoung [ko] | 26 September 1966 | 20 May 1968 | 1 year, 237 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 20 | | Lee Ho [ko] | 21 May 1968 | 20 December 1970 | 2 years, 213 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 21 | | Bae Young-ho [ko] | 21 December 1970 | 3 June 1971 | 164 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 22 | | Shin Jik-soo [ko] | 4 June 1971 | 2 December 1973 | 2 years, 181 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 23 | | Lee Bong-sung [ko] | 3 December 1973 | 17 September 1974 | 288 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 24 25 | | Hwang San-duk [ko] | 18 September 1974 | 3 December 1976 | 2 years, 76 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 26 | | Lee Sun-joong [ko] | 4 December 1976 | 21 December 1978 | 2 years, 17 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 27 | | Kim Chi-yeol [ko] | 22 December 1978 | 13 December 1979 | 356 days | Park Chung-hee | |
| 28 | | Baek Sang-ki [ko] | 14 December 1979 | 21 May 1980 | 159 days | Choi Kyu-hah | |
| 29 | | Oh Tak-keun [ko] | 22 May 1980 | ????? | | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 30 | | Oh Tak-keun [ko] | ????? | 9 April 1981 | | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 31 | | Lee Jong-won [ko] | 10 April 1981 | 20 May 1982 | 1 year, 40 days | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 32 | | Jung Chi-keun [ko] | 21 May 1982 | 23 June 1982 | 33 days | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 33 | | Bae Myoung-in [ko] | 24 June 1982 | 18 February 1985 | 2 years, 239 days | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 34 | | Kim Seok-hui [ko] | 19 February 1985 | 15 July 1985 | 146 days | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 35 | | Kim Sung-ki [ko] | 16 July 1985 | 25 May 1987 | 1 year, 313 days | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 36 | | Jung Hae-chang [ko] | 26 May 1987 | ????? | | Chun Doo-hwan | |
| 37 | | Jung Hae-chang [ko] | ????? | 4 December 1988 | | Roh Tae-woo | |
| 38 | | Huh Hyoung-ku [ko] | 5 December 1988 | 18 March 1990 | 1 year, 103 days | Roh Tae-woo | |
| 39 | | Lee Jong-nam [ko] | 19 March 1990 | 26 May 1991 | 1 year, 68 days | Roh Tae-woo | |
| 40 | | Kim Ki-chun [ko] | 27 May 1991 | 8 October 1992 | 1 year, 134 days | Roh Tae-woo | |
| 41 | | Lee Jung-woo | 9 October 1992 | 25 February 1993 | 139 days | Roh Tae-woo | |
| 42 | | Park Hee-tae [ko] | 26 February 1993 | 7 March 1993 | 9 days | Kim Young-sam | |
| 43 | | Kim Doo-Hee [ko] | 8 March 1993 | 23 December 1994 | 1 year, 290 days | Kim Young-sam | |
| 44 | | An Woo-man [ko] | 24 December 1994 | 5 March 1997 | 2 years, 71 days | Kim Young-sam | |
| 45 | | Choi Sang-yeop [ko] | 6 March 1997 | 4 August 1997 | 151 days | Kim Young-sam | |
| 46 | | Kim Jong-gu [ko] | 5 August 1997 | 2 March 1998 | 209 days | Kim Young-sam | |
| 47 | | Park Sang-chun [ko] | 3 March 1998 | 23 May 1999 | 1 year, 81 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 48 | | Kim Tae-jung [ko] | 24 May 1999 | 7 June 1999 | 14 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 49 | | Kim Jung-kil [ko] | 8 June 1999 | 20 May 2001 | 1 year, 346 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 50 | | An Dong-soo [ko] | 21 May 2001 | 23 May 2001 | 2 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 51 | | Choi Kyoung-won [ko] | 24 May 2001 | 28 January 2002 | 249 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 52 | | Song Jeong-ho [ko] | 29 January 2002 | 10 July 2002 | 162 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 53 | | Kim Jung-kil [ko] | 11 July 2002 | 5 November 2002 | 117 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 54 | | Sim Sang-myoung [ko] | 9 November 2002 | 26 February 2003 | 109 days | Kim Dae-jung | |
| 55 | | Kang Kum-sil | 27 February 2003 | 29 July 2004 | 1 year, 153 days | Roh Moo-hyun | |
| 56 | | Kim Seung-kew | 29 July 2004 | 29 June 2005 | 335 days | Roh Moo-hyun | |
| 57 | | Chun Jung-bae | 29 June 2005 | 26 July 2006 | 1 year, 27 days | Roh Moo-hyun | |
| 58 | | Kim Sung-ho [ko] | 30 August 2006 | 3 September 2007 | 1 year, 4 days | Roh Moo-hyun | |
| 59 | | Chung Soung-jin [ko] | 4 September 2007 | 29 February 2008 | 178 days | Roh Moo-hyun | |
| 60 | | Kim Kyung-han [ko] | 29 February 2008 | 29 September 2009 | 1 year, 213 days | Lee Myung-bak | |
| 61 | | Lee Kwi-nam [ko] | 30 September 2009 | 10 August 2011 | 1 year, 314 days | Lee Myung-bak | |
| 62 | | Kwon Jae-jin [ko] | 11 August 2011 | 10 March 2013 | 1 year, 211 days | Lee Myung-bak | |
| 63 | | Hwang Kyo-ahn | 11 March 2013 | 13 June 2015 | 2 years, 94 days | Park Geun-hye | |
| 64 | | Kim Hyun-woong [ko] | 9 June 2015 | 29 November 2016 | 1 year, 173 days | Park Geun-hye | |
| 65 | | Park Sang-ki | 19 July 2017 | 8 September 2019 | 2 years, 51 days | Moon Jae-in | |
| 66 | | Cho Kuk | 9 September 2019 | 14 October 2019 | 35 days | Moon Jae-in | |
| — | | Kim Oh-soo (acting) | 14 October 2019 | 1 January 2020 | 79 days | Moon Jae-in | |
| 67 | | Choo Mi-ae | 2 January 2020 | 27 January 2021 | 1 year, 25 days | Moon Jae-in | |
| 68 | | Park Beom-kye | 28 January 2021 | 9 May 2022 | 1 year, 101 days | Moon Jae-in | |
| 69 | | Han Dong-hoon | 17 May 2022 | 21 December 2023 | 1 year, 218 days | Yoon Suk Yeol | |
| 70 | | Park Sung-jae | 20 February 2024 | incumbent | 1 year, 8 days | Yoon Suk Yeol | |