National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2021 Chapter 2 Domestic and International Environment In 2021, the year marking its 20th anniversary, the Commission addressed pending human rights issues along newly emerging ones, which include human rights related with climate crisis, infectious diseases, and other disaster situations; social and economic polarization and inequality; deepening gender-equality issues; and information human rights in a rapidly changing digital environment. The year saw a continuous emergence of divergent human rights issues as public socialdistancing fatigue increased under the continuous spread of COVID-19. The pandemic situation hit the socially vulnerable population hardest, causing ever-deepening social and economic polarization and inequality. The advancement and proliferation of artificial intelligence has led to increased application of AI not just in everyday life—crime prediction, job interviews, autonomous driving—but also in areas where the technology can have direct implications on human rights, stirring a debate over personal information infringement. Meanwhile, the international community underscored the need for human rights protection mechanisms in relation to the development and use of AI technologies, including the announcement of the Artificial Intelligence Act by the European Parliament and the 2021 Report on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2021, a succession of death incidents involving sexual violence within the military led to increased parliamentary discussions on instituting military human rights protection officers. Consequently, the proposed amendment to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea Act (hereinafter “NHRCK Act”), which was passed in December (to be effective on July 1, 2022), provides for institution of human rights protection officers and Military Human Rights Protection Committee, and gives the Commission the authority to investigate human rights infringements and/or discriminations against military men and women while on duty or in barracks. The National Assembly finally enacted the Serious Accident Punishment Act following years of demand from labor, ratified key International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions on workers’ 08