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Her Excellency Kum-Sil Kang, former Minister of Justice, Republic of Korea
The appointment of a woman to the post of Minister of Justice in 2003 under the Presidency of Moo Hyun Roh attracted much attention to the emergence of women's leadership in Korea. The post of Minister of Justice has long been considered a position in the center of political power in the Korean government. Minister Kum-Sil Kang will elaborate on the background and history behind the emergence of women's leadership in Korea, the features and limitations of such leadership and its broader prospects based on her experience.
Madame Kang, who was the first woman appointed Minister of Justice in Korea, initiated reforms within the Ministry to protect the independence and political neutrality of the offices of government prosecutors. She also implemented measures designed to solicit and reflect opinions and views of the different offices within the Ministry operating the prosecutorial system in Korea. Her goals were to improve the efficiency and fairness of the prosecutorial proceedings and to improve the protection of individual civil liberties.
Since leaving office, Madame Kang has been appointed as President Roh's special ambassador on issues of women's human rights in Korea this year. Issues of particular concern and interest to Madame Kang include human rights issues, particularly with respect to persons residing in North Korea, women's issues, anti-corruption and improvement of government transparency. She is also focused on the improvement of education system in Korea and nurturing of future leaders.
A light reception will follow Madame Kang's lecture.
This is the inaugural lecture of the Asian Leaders' Forum at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. Held at Stanford, this forum regularly convenes senior leaders from across Asia --policymakers, and business and social practitioners -- in order to exchange ideas on current political, economic, and social dynamics in Asia.