cooperation to improve North Korean human rights and consolidated network for
international cooperation by holding a symposium jointly with Delegations on Korean
Peninsula of the European Parliament under the theme of the role of the international
community to improve North Korean human rights. Moreover, it conducted a field
investigation on current status of North Korean defectors near the Maritime Province of
Siberia, Russia which borders North Korea, and confirmed that the local Human Rights
Commission and the Immigration Service Center deal with the defectors in compliance
with international standards, while laying the groundwork to improve the rights of North
Korean defectors.
Furthermore, the Commission paid attention to North Korean human rights issues by
recommending the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister to send
Sukja Shin and her daughter (so-called 'Daughter of Tongyoung') to Korea, by
recommending the Minister of Unification to establish systematic programs for mental
health management to relieve trauma of North Korean defectors, and by delivering
remarks from the Chairman to urge to stop forced repatriation of North Korean defectors
staying in China.
4. Featured Project : Featured Project in Celebration of the
Commission’s 10th Anniversary
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Commission identified specific tasks such as
organizing a symposium to look back upon the past decade and come up with sincere
evaluation on the progress; surveying public awareness on human rights to estimate the
current status of human rights in Korea; and enacting the Human Rights Education Act
based on the belief that prevention by human rights education is effective in protecting
and advancing human rights and raising public awareness.
The Commission held discussions on correction facilities and enforcement agencies
34
Part I. Introduction