National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2020
4) Expanding and Diversifying Human Rights Initiatives
Responding to human rights issues in North Korea
The Commission issued a chairperson comment regarding the statement by the UN Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea at the 43rd session of the Human
Rights Council, a chairperson statement regarding the killing of a South Korean public official
by the North Korean authorities, examined key issues resulting from the ban on anti-North
Korea leaflet drops at the Forum on Human Rights in North Korea, and operated a Special North
Korea Human Rights Committee for timely response to human rights issues in North Korea. It
commissioned a study on how to contribute to the improvement the human rights situation in
North Korea through the United Nations Human Rights Mechanism and \the SDGs \, to redefine
its role as a national human rights institution and identify directions for international collaboration
efforts. Through an international symposium on human rights in Korea, it identified new ways to
cooperate on the human rights situation in North Korea under COVID-19.
Promoting human rights in business management
A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Ministry of Justice to foster respect for
human rights in business management. Because the Forum on Business and Human Rights in the
first half was canceled due to COVID-19, the Commission instead published a source book on
business management evaluation system to ensure respect for human rights in business practices.
In the second half, it hosted the 2020 Business and Human Rights Forum together with the
Ministry of Justice on the topic of international trends in human rights in business management,
proposed practical actions, and the role of the government. It also carried out a survey of the
human rights impact assessments by public institutions and public enterprises, and a study on
improving assessments. This effort was designed to identify institutional improvements that can
be made to establish and sustain a system that ensures respect for human rights in the management
of public institutions.
Protecting personal information rights in a changing era
New data processing technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), big data, and image data
processing system are having direct effects on people’s lives. The Commission responded actively
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