Section 3. Evaluation
Despite the rapidly growing number of complaints in recent years, the Commission has
continued its efforts to focus on processing long-term outstanding cases by adjusting the
intensive complaint processing period to boost swiftness and efficiency of remedies, and
enhance efficiency of handling cases by restructuring the complaint process system. In
particular, the number of affirmed cases has been on the rise since 2009, well above 300
cases, showing that the Commission has achieved remarkable growth in qualitative aspect,
as well.
In addition, following 2009, in 2010, the Commission continued to enhance
ex-post-facto remedies against human rights violations by handling complaints, but also
tried to focus on ex-ante, or preventive remedies. Thus, separate from investigations into
complaint cases, the Commission conducted on-site surveys on detention and protective
facilities, thus performing preventive remedy activities against human rights violations. It
is assessed that this has particularly helped internally establishing capabilities of on-site
investigations that a national preventive mechanism should perform upon ratification of the
Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and will be immensely helpful to
standardize the methods to meet international guidelines.
Following 2009, the Commission continued 2010 on-site surveys on detention facilities,
aged care facilities and protective facilities for migrants and conducted special
investigations on improving human rights in sports, endeavoring to promote preventive
remedies for human rights violations.
Furthermore, the Commission raised the issue of racial discrimination, which
undermines the integration of Korean society as it transforms into a multicultural society,
as a policy task, forming a social consensus. It made proactive and prompt responses to
pending issues, voicing its position on the death of a migrant wife, investigating the reality
of racism on cyberspace and expressing improvement measures and also urged relevant
ministries and organizations to play a more active role concerning what is necessary to be
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Part II. Major Activities of the Commission