Introduction Chapter 1. Overview What is the purpose and justification of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (hereafter ‘the Commission’)? The answer lies within circumstances surrounding its birth. Creation of the Commission in 2001 was made possible by a recommendation of international community (UN) to set up a human rights watchdog, long over-due aspirations of the Korean people for promotion of democracy and human rights, as well as dedication of civil and human rights groups. In short, the Commission was a reincarnation of hope and expectation for the State where human rights are respected and guaranteed of every citizen who called Korea their home. That was 10 years ago. A decade is considered as a considerable period of time considering that there is even a popular saying among Koreans: ‘Even mountains and rivers see changes in a decade’. As we welcome the 10th anniversary of the Commission, we took the opportunity to trace its footsteps and reaffirm its commitment for decades to come. Since the establishment of the Commission, there have been many changes in the human rights landscape of The Republic of Korea (hereafter ‘Korea’). To begin with, greater public awareness and establishment of legal and institutional foundations for human rights are all positive signals that foretell the development of Korea as a leading human rights nation. However, given the still significant number of vulnerable groups and blind spots of human rights as well as endless human rights issues arising every day, there seems to be no end in the journey toward building a world where human rights and human dignity are guaranteed in essence. In this sense, the year of 2011 was a good opportunity for the Commission to reaffirm its commission to work harder to shed light on darker Introduction 13