The National Human Rights Commission of Korea once again calls for the prompt legislation of the Equality Act 

(Anti-Discrimination Law)

Statement from the Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission of Korea

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has presented its opinion to the National Assembly for prompt legislation of the Equality Act (Anti-Discrimination Law) on June 30, 2020, with the view that the enactment of the Law is an urgent matter which can no longer be neglected in order to fulfill human rights dignity and equality set forth in the Constitution. The equality legislation has been consistently recommended by the international community.

The assemblymen from the Justice Party and the Democratic Party of Korea have proposed four bills to legislate the Equality Act (Anti-Discrimination Law), and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly unanimously adopted the plan to hold a public hearing to discuss the bill on April 26, 2022.  

However, the process is currently in deadlock with no specifics on the timeline of the public hearing, the necessary step for the legislation. Meanwhile, it has been a month since human rights activists began the hunger strike for the enactment of Equality Act, and the number of people joining the hunger strike movement is growing.

While the four bills for the equality legislation were pending at the National Assembly, the National Human Rights Commission Korea surveyed 1,003 respondents aged over 18 on the 'General Perception on Equality' in April 2022. According to the survey, eight out of ten respondents agreed that ‘discrimination is a social issue which needs our closeattention’. Roughly seven out of ten respondents(67.2%) agreed on the ‘necessity of promptly enacting the Equality Act currently pending at the National Assembly’. The percentage of respondents who were for the Equality Act legislation far outnumbered those who disagreed (28%).

The result of the survey was all the more meaningful as it shows that the people are generally supportive of the Equality Act legislation and the yearnings for the Equality Act is not merely an emotional empathy.

The common understanding of the people on enacting the Equality Act has also been proved repetitively through the survey on the 'Perception on Discrimination' in 2020, where nine out of ten respondents agreed on the equality legislation as well as the ‘National Petition for the Equality Act Legislation’.

The common understanding and social consensus have been formed to legislate the Equality Act (Anti-Discrimination Law) in Korea, and at this moment, there are people who are risking their lives, demanding the enactment of the Law to the National Assembly. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea emphasizes the urgency of the matter in desperation, in times of the government transition in Korea.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea strongly calls on the government to immediately begin the process to review bills, including the public hearing which was previously agreed by the ruling and the opposition parties.

May 8, 2022

Doo-hwan Song

Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea