By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young
Kim Dong-hyun, Commissioner of Daegu Regional Correctional Service, was awarded the Hongjogeunjeong Medal of Honor at the 79th Anniversary of Corrections Day ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Justice.
The ceremony was held at 2 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Gwacheon Civic Center Grand Theater in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, in the presence of Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, Shin Yong-hae, Commissioner General of Korea Correctional Service, Chairman Jang Jong-sun of the Correctional Mutual Aid Association, and more than 600 correctional officials.
Kim has spent 26 years in the correctional field practicing various social contribution activities, including blood donation, donating to the underprivileged, making books for the blind, and sponsoring child heads of household.
He was honored with the Hongjogeunjeong Medal for his contributions to the development of correctional administration, especially the use of parole through the implementation of the Recidivism Prediction Index (REPI) and the scientificization of prisoner treatment.
A native of Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, who earned his J.D. from Hanyang University, Kim is considered an expert in correctional administration who entered the public service in 1998 with the 41st state-run higher civil service examination and has held major posts such as warden of Yeongwol Prison, head of the Ministry of Justice's Classification Review Division and Security Division, head of Hwaseong Vocational Training Prison, and head of Incheon Detention Center.
He has built trust within the correctional organization through his reasonable personality and communication-oriented leadership, and has created a positive atmosphere in the organization by respecting employees' opinions and valuing communication.
Kim also has a passion for academics, earning a doctorate in the field of criminal justice to study how to scientize the treatment of offenders.
These research achievements support his expertise in correctional administration, which combines practice and academia, and have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Social Contribution Grand Award.
“We will create the safety of the people based on trust for change,” said Kim Dong-hyun, and expressed his ambition to do his best to establish law and order and protect human rights in correctional facilities.
He also expressed his intention to induce internal changes in prisoners through the scientificization of criminal treatment and strengthen recidivism prevention policies.
