The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) expanded its human rights training organization into a headquarters-level unit in 2005 to bolster human rights training. There has been rapid headway in the training since.
In 2007, the NHRCK hosted human rights training courses or workshops on fourteen occasions. There were nearly 1,900 participants in total. On another 46 occasions, about 1,700 trainees visited the NHRCK to take part in human rights training. They were instructed on the activities of the NHRCK as well as human rights. In addition, approximately 3,900 persons, by submitting applications to the NHRCK, heard 402 special lectures on human rights delivered by excellent instructors recommended by the NHRCK. It was found that interest and participation in human rights training have been growing year by year.
The most noteworthy training courses or workshops hosted by the NHRCK last year were the ones for teachers or personnel from education offices. There was an increase in the number of workshops that promote human rights education in communities' educational institutes and create a human rights-friendly environment. Over 600 teaching staff participated in the 'international workshop on human rights training to create a human rights-friendly school culture' held in Seoul, Gwangju, and Busan in February 2007. There were more than 250 participants in the 'international multicultural seminar' hosted in Daegu and Gwangju in November 2007. Those events were of great interest to the local teaching staff.
Analyses indicate that there has been dramatic progress in human rights training in social welfare, which the NHRCK has intensively promoted since 2007. In May 2007, about 460 persons from living facilities for the disabled enthusiastically took part in a workshop that used NHRCK human rights training materials targeting those living facilities. Ensuing training programs for personnel from nursing homes for the aged and the mentally disabled drew wide attention. It is believed that the year 2007 indeed saw rising interest in human rights in the field of social welfare.
Human rights training targeting press organizations and companies was expanded significantly in 2007, compared to the preceding year. Unlike ordinary training programs or workshops, these organizations and companies requested the NHRCK to dispatch human rights education instructors for on-site lectures.
Also, numerous police officers and students visited the NHRCK. Requests from prosecutors, corrections officers, immigration officers, and general administrative government employees for human rights training have been increasing gradually.
Such increase is largely attributed to the NHRCK's endeavors to (i) raise interest in human rights education by greatly expanding its training organization and staff and by developing and distributing various training materials or programs in the belief that better and more widespread training is of foremost importance for the promotion of human rights in Korean society; and (ii) promote interest and activities in local communities with the opening of local offices in Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu.
□ Training Courses (Including Workshops)
Course Number of sessions Target Number of trainees Duration of training
2006 Research school operation workshop 1
Teachers
35
4. 26~27
Human rights workshop in social welfare 3 Social workers 500 6.23?6.27
Training for teaching staff's awareness of human rights 4 Teaching staff 119 7.31 ~ 8.11
International workshop on human rights training (U.S., U.K.) 1 Civilians 137 10. 24
Social welfare and human rights training (for children) 1 Facility chiefs 30 11.6.~11.9
Social welfare and human rights training (for the disabled) 1 Facility chiefs 30 11.20.~11.23
Military human rights training course
5 Military instructors/ commanders 180 11.13?12.21
Education managers' human rights training workshop 1 Education supervisors/ researchers 39 11.30 ~ 12.1
Human rights education rally 1 Teachers, civilians, etc. 80 12. 7
2007 Course for teaching staff's awareness of human rights 1 Teaching staff 53 1.8~12 (Busan)
International workshop on human rights training to create a human rights-friendly school culture 3
Principals, teachers, etc. 600
2.22(Seoul), 23 (Busan),26 (Gwangju)
Workshop for managers of pilot-based human rights training schools 1 Principals, teachers, etc. 50 3.23 (Seoul)
Workshop for the use of human rights training materials (living facilities for the disabled) 3 Social workers and related personnel 460 5.16 (Seoul),18. (Busan),25 (Gwangju)
Course for teaching staff's awareness of human rights 5 Training staff 159 7.30~8.2( Seoul),
8.7~10 (Gwangju,Busan,Daegu)
Training course for military instructors 1 Army instructors 40 7.10~12
Education tour for Navy commanders 2 Navy commanders 60 7.24~25
Training course for military commanders 3 Military commanders 90 11.6. (Daegu),7. (Jeonju),15. (Osan)
Course for human rights awareness in social welfare (mental nursing homes) 1 Chief secretaries 60 11.6.~11.8.(Daejeon)
International multicultural seminar 2 Teaching staff, activists for human rights education, etc. 250 11.8~9.(Daegu,Gwangju)
Course for human rights awareness in social welfare (aged nursing homes) 1 Facility heads 26 11.21.~11.23.(Seoul)
Regional human rights education rally 4 Teaching staff, etc. 180 11.28~30. (Gwangju,Busan,Daegu) 12.13. (Gyeonggi-do)
Final report on human rights training research schools 1 Teachers, etc. 60 12.12~13 (Gyeonggi-do)
Workshop for personnel in facilities protecting many people and related government employees 1 Facility staff and government employees 90 12.13. (Daegu)
□ Visit Programs
Total Police Teaching staff/students Social welfare Others
Number of times Number of persons Number of times Number of persons Number of times Number of persons Number of times Number of persons Number of times Number of persons
2006 34 991 11 319 20 568 7 142
2007 46 1,673 11 349 30 1,170 4 131 1 23
* Until 2006, the statistics for the military and social welfare were included in the section labeled ‘Others.’
□ Special Lectures on Human Rights
Total Teaching staff Police Prosecution, correctional offices, immigration offices, etc. Military Press/
companies General administration, etc. Social welfare Others
No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons No. of Times No. of persons
2006 160 12,195 38 2,710 57 5,168 14 1,179 7 670 21 626 23 1,842
2007 402 39,292 101 13,970 73 7,281 39 3,889 9 1,236 30 2,041 22 2,389 106 7,342 22 1,144
* Until 2006, the statistics for general administration and social welfare were included in the section labeled ‘Others.’
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001 to promote human rights education and defend those who have experienced discrimination, or have had a right violated, in Korea. The Commission offers counseling, full investigation and protection for citizens, along with educational initiatives for organizations.
