National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2019 Section 4. Human Rights Counseling and Petitions From 2018, there was a slight surge in petitions, counseling requests, and complaints/inquiries. To ensure more effective remedial measures, the Commission advertised the services it offers and made it clear who and which organizations are subject to investigation when a petition is filed. In 2019, the Commission received 9,737 petitions, 33,437 counseling requests, and 44,861 complaints and inquiries (on who/institutions subject to Commission investigation, filing procedures, and information on other institutions). Compared to the previous year, there were 452 and inquiries. (Unit : cases) Year Cumulative sum Petitions Counseling requests Complaints and inquiries Total 141,934 402,361 516,350 1,060,645 2019 9,737 33,437 44,861 88,089 2018 9,285 32,278 45,968 87,526 2017 12,336 36,370 42,939 91,638 2016 10,647 31,616 38,020 80,283 2015 10,695 32,030 37,961 80,686 * The cumulative sum is the total from November 25, 2001 (the date of the establishment of the Commission), to December 31, 2019. * Counseling requests include face-to-face petitions closed by counseling. 1. Human Rights Counseling Since its inception until the end of December 2019, the Commission processed approximately 400,000 counseling requests in total. In 2019 alone, the number stood at 33,437, which represents a slight increase from the previous year. By type, 41.1% were related to human rights violations, 8.3% to discrimination, 3.1% to face-to-face petitions closed by counseling, and 47.5% to other issues. Compared to 2018, the number of counseling requests related to human rights violations 111 Key Activities [Table 2-2-7] Petitions, Counseling Requests, and Complaints and Inquiries in the Last Five Years Part 2 more petitions (4.9%), 1,159 more counseling requests (3.6%), and 1,107 (2.4%) less complaints