June 14 2019
National Human Rights Commission of Korea submits information on the Government’s follow-up report to the concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the Fourth Periodic Report of the Republic of Korea
- NHRCK provides information on the UN Committee’s recommendations on business and human rights, non-discrimination legislation and trade union rights -
On May 24 2019, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) submitted its review of the report provided by the ROK government in the follow-up to the concluding observations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the ROK’s Fourth Periodic Report.
In the Concluding Observations, which was issued on October 9 2017, the Committee requested the ROK government to report on the status of implementation of the recommendations regarding business and human rights, non-discrimination legislation and trade union rights within 18 months of the adoption of the Concluding Observations. Accordingly, the ROK government (focal point: Ministry of Justice) submitted the follow-up report to the Committee on April 18 2019.
The NHRCK presented its review of the follow-up report to help the Committee to accurately assess the ROK government’s progress in the implementation of the human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Regarding the recommendations on business and human rights, the Commission notes that the government should identify cases of human rights violations committed by Korean companies doing business at home and abroad and actively provide remedies for such violations.
On the issue of non-discrimination legislation, the Commission is concerned about the lack of concrete or visible progress in the formation of comprehensive anti-discrimination law and the government’s commitment to new legislation, noting that the government has not disclosed a plan for comprehensive non-discrimination legislation despite the UN recommendations.
The NHRCK further points out that there has been an increase in discrimination against minority groups such as women, immigrants, refugees and sexual minorities in the Korean society, along with the rise in hate speech targeting them. Based on the belief that addressing hate speech will ultimately form the foundation of anti-discrimination law, the Commission established a special committee on hate and discrimination in February 2019, promotes public dialogue on the issues and conducts surveys and research and pushes for the development of prevention guidelines.
In respect of trade union rights, the Commission calls on the government to accelerate the ratification of the ILO Convention Numbers 87 and 98, as recommended by the Commission on 10 December 2018, in order to ensure that no workers are excluded from the full enjoyment of basic labor rights.
The NHRCK seeks to faithfully perform its role as a national human rights institution by constantly monitoring the ROK government’s implementation of the recommendations contained in the Committee’s concluding observations on the ROK’s Fourth Periodic Report.
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Attachment: Submission of Information by National Human Rights Commission of Korea_(ICESCR)
