Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the legal landscape, extending its influence beyond industry and economy. Generative AI assists with legal consultations, analyzes case law, and swiftly searches vast amounts of legal information.
However, new forms of crime, such as deepfakes, AI phishing, cybercrime, and personal data breaches, are also on the rise.
The role of the Ministry of Justice is evolving. While its past focus was on punishing crime and maintaining law and order, the current priority is to design a new legal framework suitable for the AI era and ensure that all citizens can easily access AI-driven legal services.
Minister Jeong Seong-ho has been actively promoting the AI transformation (AX) of legal administration since taking office. A key initiative is the AI-customized legal assistance platform.
This public AI service is designed to provide citizens with necessary legal assistance information in one place, eliminating the need to visit multiple agencies when facing legal issues.
Minister Jeong personally encouraged the team behind the service launch, praising the innovation of AI-based legal services as a significant achievement in legal administration.
The question is clear.
Can South Korea truly become the most trusted digital rule of law nation through AI?
AI Enhances Access to Legal Services
The law should be equal for everyone.
Yet, in reality, legal services remain difficult and complex.
Minister Jeong has focused on the AI-customized legal assistance platform.
This platform connects legal assistance services from 35 institutions, including the government, courts, and local governments, allowing citizens to find support tailored to their situations in one go.
AI analyzes the content of inquiries and connects users with necessary legal information and support systems, helping to reduce legal blind spots.
AI is not a technology that replaces lawyers; rather, it serves to bridge the gap between citizens and the law.
AI Era Brings Evolving Crimes
AI creates new opportunities while also giving rise to new crimes.
Deepfakes, voice phishing, scams using generative AI, and the spread of misinformation represent crime types that the existing legal framework did not anticipate.
The Ministry of Justice is tasked with enhancing its capabilities to respond to digital crimes in the AI era and advancing digital forensics and advanced investigative techniques.
In the future, law enforcement agencies must understand AI and develop the ability to analyze crimes using AI.
The competitiveness of legal administration in the AI era depends on how well human experience and AI analysis are combined.
AI Transforms Legal Administration
Legal administration can also be significantly changed through AI.
AI serves as a powerful tool for analyzing vast amounts of case records and precedents, automating repetitive administrative tasks, and processing public service requests swiftly.
Minister Jeong has indicated a commitment to expanding innovations in legal administration that citizens can feel, starting with the AI-based legal assistance platform.
Importantly, AI should not replace judges or prosecutors.
AI must assist in legal judgments and enhance administrative efficiency.
AI Must Evolve Alongside the Law
Technology always moves faster than the law.
As AI becomes more widespread, new legal challenges arise, including personal data protection, copyright, liability, and algorithm fairness.
The Ministry of Justice must establish laws and systems to address these changes.
Creating a balanced legal framework that protects citizens' rights and freedoms without stifling the AI industry will be a key task moving forward.
In the AI era, good laws are as important as good technology.
A People-Centered AI Rule of Law
Minister Jeong emphasizes a legal administration that prioritizes people over AI technology.
AI should not replace tasks but serve as a means to provide better legal services to citizens.
Those with limited access to legal services should be able to easily receive the help they need through AI, and citizens must be better protected from advanced crimes.
Ultimately, the core of an AI rule of law nation is not technology but the trust of the people.
The challenge facing Minister Jeong is not merely the digitization of legal administration.
It is about designing a new rule of law nation suitable for the AI era.
The AI-customized legal assistance platform, digital legal administration, advanced crime response, and future legal system reforms all aim toward one goal.
To make South Korea the most fair and trusted rule of law nation in the AI era.
As technology advances, the role of law becomes increasingly important.
For AI to become a technology for humanity, the laws and systems supporting AI must also evolve.
: Minister Jeong Seong-ho :
Minister Jeong Seong-ho is a legal and policy expert with extensive experience in the judicial system and legal policy through his work as a lawmaker and member of the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee.
Since taking office, he has prioritized the AI transformation of legal administration, launching the AI-customized legal assistance platform and promoting innovations in digital legal services centered on citizens and improvements in organizational culture.
His core policy direction focuses on innovating legal administration for the AI era, establishing advanced crime response systems, and expanding public legal services accessible to all citizens.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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