- Alison Lapper, Kerry Kennedy, and Hurst Hannum
During one month of May, globally famous human right activists and specialists visited the Commission and had meetings with the Chairperson and the staff members.
Firstly, Alison Lapper, known as Venus of Modern society, visited the Commission on May 1st, and had a discussion with the human rights commissioners and staffs. Ms. Lapper commented that the socio-economically underprivileged and the disabled also have their own roles to contribute to society. Furthermore she stressed the labor power of disabled people in Korean society.
And she also said that she hoped to help the disabled and disadvantaged people through her visit in Korea. Ms. Alison Lapper who got over poverty and difficulties as like as a lotus flower into the mud brought her message of ‘hope’ and ‘courage’ toward Korean people.
On May 12th, Ms. Kerry Kennedy, the director of the Robert Kennedy Human Rights Center, visited the Commission and addressed the staff members. Ms. Kennedy is Robert Kennedy’s (the late U.S. senator) daughter and the author of “Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World”. She is also a consulting member in the Amnesty International, the Human Rights Defense Attorney Associate, the Justice Practice Committee.
On May 16th, Professor Hurst Hannum of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, visited the Commission and gave a lecture to the staff members on “Terrorism and International Human Rights Law”. He also had a consultation meeting with NGOs on Human Rights Council, the newly established human rights body, and lectured at the Seoul National University Graduate School on International Studies. Prof. Hannum is the specialist in conflict-resolution and human rights, nationalism and the right to self-determination and the international human rights mechanism. He is the first invitee to the Commission as an international expert in human rights during this year. More will be invited to the Commission under the project of “International Human Rights Experts Invitation Program.”
