The National Human Rights Commission of Korea welcomes memorandums of understanding from Inha University and Hanyang University in the promotion of human rights education.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) designated Inha University and Hanyang University as regional hub universities for human rights education and research in Incheon and Seoul. The two universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on exchanges for the advancement of human rights education and research on October 31 and November 1, respectively.
The MOUs are established with the understanding that each university will initiate and institute a human rights research institute on their campus and offer courses on human rights to their students. These efforts are made to expand human rights education in school, while the Commission will provide selective student internships to graduate students from the law schools that will be established in 2009, or later. The internships are meant to encourage students to become involved with human rights law, or become human rights lawyers.
The Commission entered into the MOUs with Inha University and Hanyang University in appreciation of past efforts to promote human rights on both university campuses. In particular, Hanyang University has begun to teach law students sign language in order to better equip their graduates with skills necessary for handling cases involving persons with language, speech or hearing impairments.
Both MOUs with Inha University and Hanyang University include the following points:
▶ The university shall serve as a hub university for education and research in human rights for the community to which it belongs;
▶ The university shall provide cooperation for the implementation of human rights education, e.g. developing and offering human rights courses;
▶ The two parties shall cooperate with one other to research human rights issues in the local community;
▶ The two parties shall exchange materials relating to human rights, as well as human resources; and
▶ The commission shall provide internship opportunities to the university’s law school students.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has since last year designated and initiated relations with regional hub universities in various regions of the country. In doing so, the Commission aims to assist each university promote the value of human rights in Korean society.
Chonnan National University was designated as the first-ever regional hub university for human rights in Gwangju City, Jeonnam Province in December of 2006. Soon after, the Commission designated Yeungnam University as the regional hub university of Daegu City, Gyeongbuk Province in April of 2007.
Since the designation, Chonnan National University and Yeungnam University have pursued a variety of activities to advance human rights in their local communities. Chonnan launched the Center for Public Interest and Human Rights Law, a human rights institute, while Yeungnam founded the Human Rights Education and Research Center. The Commission began providing four-week internships to graduate students of both law schools, with up to a maximum of 50 students per year, per university.
The Commission envisions regional hub universities for human rights serving as strongholds for the establishment of human rights communities in their regions and nurturing future lawyers, civil servants, teachers and medical practitioners with a high degree of sensitivity to human rights.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea was established in 2001, offering investigation and remedy services for Korean citizens and foreigners residing in Korea against human rights violations and discrimination. The Commission provides policy recommendations and remedial action against human rights infringements, collaborates with international human rights organizations and implements educational
