Key NHRCK Activities
circumstances, that the deceased was going through sudden psychological changes or insecurities
due to his military duty, but programs like the Suicide Prevention, which are designed to detect
such risks, have failed to deliver, then the causal relationship between the military duty and the
life.
Thus, the Commission found that the Examination Committee’s decision that the soldier died a
natural death based only on his ostensible performance of duty and not taking into consideration
the environmental changes in the military or rising mental and psychological hardships is an
Part 1 Introduction
death should be recognized as the state failed to fulfill its obligation to protect the soldier’s right to
indication that the state has failed to fulfill its basic obligation of protecting the life and safety of
soldiers, and violated the right to reputation of the victim, who died while fulfilling his obligation
towards defense of the nation.
line-of-duty death for the deceased.
C. Detention facilities
■ Recommendation with respect to COVID-19 death in detention center
necessary measures to prevent violation of inmates’ right to visitation and communication by
failing to notify their guardians and/or families of COVID-19 illness or other significant changes
in their health status, and stay of execution of sentence (21-jinjeong-0037700).
An inmate of the detention center, the victim was confirmed of having COVID-19 on December
23. On the same day, the detention center recommended a stay of execution of the inmate’s
sentence to the district public prosecutor’s office, and got approval and a release order on the
following day. However, the inmate submitted an application for temporary accommodation for
the period December 24 to 26, after which he was transferred to the hospital on the 26th, but the
inmate died the next day.
The Commission found that the detention center’s failure to notify the inmate’s family of his
COVID-19 illness could not be challenged, as there was no evidence contradicting the center’s
105
Part 3 Appendices
On September 17, the Commission recommended the warden of a detention center to take the
Part 2 Key NHRCK Activities
The Ministry of National Defense accepted the Commission’s recommendation and recognized