Daughter of Labor Activist Becomes Prosecutor
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The daughter of labor activist and former lawmaker Dan Byung-ho has become a prosecutor with the Changwon Prosecutors' Office. Jeong-ryeo, 27, passed the national bar exam in 2006 and recently completed two years of judiciary training.
Dan was the former chief of the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the nation's two largest labor umbrella groups, and led various activities and campaigns for labor unions. He was jailed and put on police and prosecution wanted lists for more than eight years.
Ironically, his daughter will work at the Changwon Prosecutors' Office that indicted him on charges of leading illegal rallies and a walkout in 2002. The office's chief prosecutor sought a five-year jail term for Dan that year.
``It was difficult for me to get financial support from my father when he was engaged in labor activities and even after he became a lawmaker,'' Jeong-ryeo said in an interview after passing the state bar exam. ``My father always encouraged me to do what I wanted to and his encouragement was very helpful when I was a student and preparing for the exam.''