Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl says becoming a servant for the public should be the goal of prosecution reforms. 

He made the remarks in a lecture to around a dozen newly-promoted senior prosecutors on Monday. 

Yoon stressed that the "fairness" of prosecutors and the need for the state prosecution to "stand by the people" are two sides of the coin and urged new prosecutors to provide fair opportunities for all parties concerned in criminal cases and to serve the public. 

Yoon’s remarks echoed a previous lecture he gave to senior prosecutors last week, where he urged them to stand by the public by sternly dealing with corruption by those in power. 

The call to punish crimes by those with political power drew criticism from the ruling bloc, where many members have accused Yoon, who was appointed by the president, of resisting the government's attempt to reform the prosecution.