National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2017 Part 3 1 | Introduction Part 1 1 About the Commission 1. Establishment The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (hereafter “NHRCK” or “the Commission”) is an independent national organization in charge of human rights issues. It is established to help people realize their human dignity and value, and contribute to a democratic order through the protection and promotion of inherent, inviolable human rights. International discussions The United Nations laid out the Principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the “Paris Principles”) at a time when newly democratized nations were beginning to establish national human rights organizations in the late 1980s. The Paris Principles were established at the 1st International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris in 1991, and were adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the UN General Assembly in 1992 and 1993, respectively. They are key principles governing the authorities and responsibilities, independence and pluralism, operation, and quasi-judicial authorities of national institutions, and serve as international standards for national human rights institutions. In line with such international efforts, nations began to plan for an efficient national mechanism for human rights protection and promotion that reflects their human rights conditions. Discussions at home The national human rights institution in Korea was the result of a combination of the Introduction Chapter