o The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) held the <Open Forum on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Psychological Disability> in cooperation with the Korean Nuero Psychiatric Association on 24 July, 2014.
o At the Forum, the hot issue of the involuntarily hospitalization was discussed focusing on the problems and illegality and improvement measures. In addition, which kind of improvement should be made for the better social rehabilitation facility and what actions can be taken by the locan or central government for cure and rehabilitation in a local community.
o Among 80,569 inpatients with mental disease in Korea as of 2012, only 24.1% (19,441 persons) voluntarily hospitalized him/herself while 75.9%(61,128 persons) involuntarily did so. Compared to other cases in developed countries (France 12.5%, Germany 17.7%, Italy 12.1%, England 13.5%) whose average involuntary hospitalization rate stands below 20%, the rate of involuntary hospitalization in Korea is far higher. Also, the average period of hospitalization in Korea is 247 days which is much longer than that in developed countries (below 50 days).
o The problem of involuntary hospitalization has been continuously raised by disability rights defenders because it is in compatible with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which the Republic of Korea acceded to in 2009. The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities included this topic in the List of Issues of its first review of the Republic of Korea in September 2014.
o The NHRCK will devise a policy recommendation for the protection of the rights of persons with mental disabilities based on the outcome of the forum.
