Woman to head detention center for 1st time
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Song Hwa-sook
By Kim Hyo-jin
Song Hwa-sook, 57, was appointed head of the Seoul Juvenile Detention Center, Monday ― the first woman in the country to have been put in charge of such an institution.
Song was credited as an expert who has worked in the penal reform sector for over 27 years, according to the justice ministry.
The Seoul center, the country’s biggest youth correctional facility, opened in 1942, provides secondary education and job training to about 250 juveniles. Song began her civil service career as an English teacher in 1986.
“I’m really pleased and honored to become the head of my first workplace,” Song said. “I will do my utmost to help our students to become able and to stand on their own feet after they are discharged.”
Song was a teacher at a secondary school in North Jeolla Province. She recalled that there were many students who dropped out of school due to financial difficulties. She helped them attend an evening school after working in a factory during the daytime.
In hopes of helping more young students in need, Song applied for a government job in 1986, becoming a teacher at the Seoul juvenile center.
After a decade of experience in education, Song moved into policymaking posts. She served as head of the Ansan juvenile delinquency prevention center, the Nambu protection and surveillance station, and Anyang juvenile detention center.
While serving at the Anyang center from 2010 to 2011, she devised a new post-juvenile center program under which juvenile delinquents are provided with systemic support until they settle down in society. A year-based program, highly praised for lowering re-offending rates from 14.5 percent to 10 percent six months after introduction, was spread to nationwide youth correction facilities.
Song is scheduled to retire in two years. The new position could be her last mission to help young people in trouble.
“As an old saying goes, to raise a child, the whole town should be involved. To embrace isolated young people, attention and efforts by the entire society are needed,” she said. “For the rest of my service, I hope that I can contribute to creating such an atmosphere.”