Park, Kyung-Seo, former Senior Standing Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), received recently an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK for his dedication to peace, human rights and international humanitarian efforts.
The University began the commencement ceremony by recognizing former Standing Commissioner Park’s achievements as a significant leader of the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 1982-1999 and his more current human rights efforts in South Korea. At the ceremony, former Standing Commissioner Park expressed his gratitude, stating that would continue his efforts to see ‘peace on the Korean peninsula.’
The honorary doctorate was awarded to Park for his 18 years of dedicated service, promotion of humanitarian aid to North Korea, campaigns for international peace as Chairperson of the East Asian Peace Commission, and consistent contributions to the advancement of human rights in Asia as the first Human Rights Ambassador of Korea and Standing Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. During his time with the WCC, Park was the Chairperson of the WCC Asian Policy Commission in Geneva, Switzerland. His duties included reviewing human rights situation of 31 Asian countries, and he completed over 30 rounds of visits throughout his years of service. Among these visits, Park visited China over 40 times, India and its adjacent nations 40 times and North Korea 26 times to observe and review the conditions of human rights for policy analysis.
Park continued his work in South Korea, where he served as the first Human Rights Ambassador for six years, and was also one of the first Commissioners for the National Human Rights Commission of Korea; he served as Senior Standing Commissioner from November 15, 2001 to December 24, 2004. Currently, he is a Distinguished Professor at the Ewha Academy of Ewha Womans University; President of the National Police Agency’s Human Rights Commission; Moderator of the Ministry of Unification, ROK’s Policy Guideline Commission; and Chairperson of the Korean Center for UN Human Rights Policy.
Former Standing Commissioner Park graduated from Seoul National University with a major in Sociology, earned both his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Sociology at the Goettingen University in Germany and received an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the Indian Academy in Senai, India. His major publications include “Reconciliation and Reunification,” “The Asian Struggle and Vision,” “Promoting Peace and Human Rights on the Korean Peninsula,” and “Reflections on the Korean Peninsula and Asia from the Eyes of a Human Rights Ambassador,” among others.
