TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Friday he had not changed his views about the military trial system despite having defended a high-profile victim of the military as an attorney a decade ago.

Taiwan first abolished the military court system in 2013, following the death of Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘). The 24-year-old conscript collapsed from heatstroke after drills and died just days before the end of his military service in 2013. Koo served as the head of the Hung family’s legal team in the case.

After President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Thursday he would restore the military justice system, Koo said his own views about military courts had not changed, per CNA. At the time of the Hung scandal, the military justice system had not been trusted by the public, he said.

The president’s plan was to set up a new system following correct legal procedures and conducting fair trials, according to Koo. The prosecutors and judges would have to respect human rights while also maintaining military discipline.

Reforms of the system were needed now to be ready if peace turned to war, Koo said. Legislation would determine the selection process of military judges and safeguard their objectivity and independence from the outside, including from the Ministry of National Defense, the minister added.

Koo said he could not put a timetable on the reforms, as the task was complex and needed consultation with various sections of society.