The NHRC Holds a Conference on "Social Status" (10-16-2002)
On 17 October at 2:00 p.m., the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will hold a conference on the definition of "social status," which has been classified under Article 30.2 of the National Human Rights Commission Act as one of the reasons for discrimination. However, compared to the other 17 reasons for discrimination, the definition has remained vague, and has remained open to different interpretations.
There are two conflicting theories on social status: "congenital status" and "a posteriori status." The Constitutional Court [in Korea] has interpreted social status as being "a posteriori," arguing that social status is "a status within the society, held for a long period of time." Following this theory, the scope of social status [in Korean society] seems to be quite broad.
Also, in regards to those petitions received by the NHRC in regards to social status, there have been many different cases. Of the 22 cases involving social status discrimination, 4 involved academic background, 3 involved jobs, 2 involved quality of living, and 13 were various other cases.
The NHRC hopes that the conference will set a standard for defining discrimination involving social status. Prior to the discussion, Professor Hong-suk Cho (Kyungbook University) will give a presentation called "The Scope of Social Status and Its Definition;" Professor Gi-Choon Song (Kyungnam University) will give another presentation called, "Interpretation of the Discrimination Article." Other professors who plan to attend the conference include Pil-Dong Kim (Choongnam University), Hun-Hwan Lee (Seowon University), Gwang-Suk Chun (Yonsei University), and Tae-Wook Chung (Yeongnam University).
