Opinions on the first National Report of Korea on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2. Article 4. General obligations 2.1 The Optional Protocol to the Convention 1) Current status and problem Despite recommendations by the Commission and continued demands by organizations for persons with disabilities since the Convention came into effect on January 10, 2009, the government has deferred the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the ground that it should be preceded by comprehensive reviews of judgment criteria of the UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the status of remedying human rights violations under the Anti-Discrimination Act against Persons with Disabilities. 2) Recommendation In order to ensure persons with disabilities exercise their rights and participate in society on an equal basis with persons without disabilities as set forth in the Convention, the government should ratify the Optional Protocol, which guarantees the rights to remedies and investigation through the UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, thereby reinforcing the assurance of human rights of persons with disabilities. 2.2 The Disability Grading System 1) Current status and problem ① The Disability Grading System is a system where the government determines type and degree of the disabilities according to medical criteria and registers and manages the grade of a person’s disability. Nowhere in the world can this system be found except in Japan and Korea. NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF KOREA 6