The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK, Chairperson: Prof. AHN Kyong-Whan) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) co-hosted a panel discussion on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on August 26, 2008. The discussion provided an opportunity to examine and evaluate the UPR mechanism in general and more specifically the conclusions and recommendations of the review on the Republic of Korea.
JANG Jae-Bok, the Director of the Human Rights and Social Affairs Division of MOFAT, highlighted some of the positive features of the UPR review process as drawing a large participation from diverse stakeholders compared to any other human rights discussion at the international level and its contribution to the improvement of human rights situation for the country being reviewed in the mid to long term. However, inherent limitations due to time constraints surfaced as well which led to limited participation of NGOs. He also underlined that, with regards to the recommendations for the Korean government, it will make an effort to establish practical implementation measures through a process transparent to all interested stakeholders. LEE Seong-Hoon, the Director-General of the Human Rights Policy Bureau of the NHRCK, also pointed out that the UPR process was a good opportunity to review Korea’s human rights situation overall in the international arena and to look for ways of improvement. However, the NHRCK fell short of carrying out a more strategic role in encouraging productive consultation with the government and NGOs. Also, the NHRCK will continue to monitor and analyze the status of implementation of the recommendations by the government and prepare an independent and comprehensive report. Meanwhile, HWANG Pil-Kyu from the Beautiful Foundation’s public interest lawyers’ group, Gong-Gam expressed concerns about the exclusion of NGO participation in the UPR working group review process and urged the Korean government to implement specific plans to monitor and evaluate the human rights situation and establish a systematic mechanism for implementation.
The panel discussion was considered a significant step forward in engaging in a constructive dialogue between the NHRCK, the MOFAT and NGOs as to their respective role in the UPR process. However, there were inherent limitations in discussing and addressing the meaning of specific recommendations and its implementation plan. Thus, it was agreed that there should be a domestic mechanism for foreseeing the implementation of the UPR recommendations and for this to happen, it will be crucial to draw support and participation as well as collect opinion from the civil society.
On June 12, the UPR working group issued 33 recommendations to the Republic of Korea. Especially, the Working Group on UPR recommended that the Korean government ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) and abolish the death penalty in an immediate and timely manner. With regard to the National Security Law, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States of America and the United Kingdom unanimously recommended the revision or abolishment of it.
