The National Human Rights Commission of Korea decided to initiate an ex-officio investigation into an allegation that the Prime Minister’s Office conducted an inspection on civilians on April 16 2012.
The NHRCK made such determination based on the ground that a broad range of inspection on civilians constitutes a serious case of human rights violation if the allegation turns out to be true. It was reported that key governmental bodies including the Prime Minister’s Office allegedly conducted an investigation on civilians on a wide range of sectors such as the political world, media, and the entertainment world. Even though the Prosecutor’s Office expressed its strong will to scrutinize the case, a climate of mistrust toward the authority still exists among the public. In this regard, NHRCK’s ex-officio investigation will be a meaningful occasion in terms of human rights.
