2002 Kim Jong-gil, former Minister of Justice. Central photo
Former Minister Kim Jong-gil, who served as Minister of Justice twice during the Kim Dae-jung administration, passed away from his home at 7 am on the 23rd due to a chronic illness. Age 84.
Born in Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do in 1937, the late former Minister Kim Jeong-gil graduated from Chosun University’s affiliated high school, Korea University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Seoul National University’s Master of Laws, and Hanyang University’s Graduate School of Law. After passing the 2nd Judicial High School Examination in 1963, he was appointed as a prosecutor in 1969 and worked as a prosecutor for 25 years. In 1994, he stayed at Gwangju High School.
He has been a lawyer since 1995. After Kim Tae-jung, former Justice Minister Kim Tae-Jung, was dismissed after 16 days of inauguration due to his wife’s Otlobi case, he was appointed as the 49th Minister of Justice in June 1999 and worked until May 2001.
Former Justice Minister Kim is famous for being replaced by DJ after opposing the appointment of Deputy Chief Swordsman Shin Seung-nam, who was regarded as one of the most powerful prosecutors, as the successor to Prosecutor General Park Soon-yong. This is because President Shin finally resigned himself after six months as his younger brother was arrested at Lee Yong-ho’s gate.
After that, he served as a visiting professor at Hanyang University for a while, and in July 2002, when the government approval rating of President Kim Dae-jung plunged through the gates of Kim Hong-up, Kim Hong-geol, and Choi Kyu-seon, he was appointed again as the Minister of Justice (53rd). However, at the end of October of the same year, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office took charge of the assault and fatality of the suspect, and with the then-prosecutor General Lee Myung-jae took responsibility and withdrew. Until recently, he served as a seat professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
One junior who remembers former Minister Kim recalled that he was “deokjang, who was usually the eldest brother to juniors with his kind and warm character.”
As the Minister of Justice, former Minister Kim frequently visits correctional facilities (prisons, detention centers, etc.) and is remembered as one of the Ministers of Justice who contributed the most to the development of correctional administration. He is the craftsman of Hwang Chul-gyu (19th Judicial Research and Training Institute) Chairman of the International Prosecutors’ Association (Go Prosecutor)
The mortuary was prepared in Room 19 of the funeral hall of Samsung Seoul Hospital. The origin is 6 am on the 26th.
Reporter Minjoong Kim [email protected]