National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2021 At an Ambassador Roundtable meeting hosted by the Commission on June 11, several country representatives affirmed that, though there had been many concerns voiced over legislation of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, the latter actually helped foster an environment conducive to respect for all, contributing greatly to social integration. Participants stressed that antidiscrimination legislation is an urgent obligation that the ROK has to fulfill in order to advance democracy and promote human rights, and pledged their support and cooperation. The international community, including United Nations human rights treaty bodies, has continuously called for an equality law to be enacted in Korea. In a 2020 survey by the Commission on how the public views discrimination, nine out of ten respondents said legislation is needed to safeguard the right to equality. Also, the petition for enactment of such a law was presented with 100,000 signatures, which is an indication that legislation of the law is a task demanded by the society. Given the general social consensus, the National Assembly has no good reason to remain silent on this. However, discussions have not begun in earnest for a year since the Commission’s expressed opinion. With little progress being made in relevant discussions, the country has seen a rise in hate and discrimination in the political, economic and social sphere, while witnessing tragic consequences of an absence of a legal safeguard, such as the death of the former transgender soldier Byun Hee-soo. Recognizing that, in the spirit of the Constitution, discrimination should be banned in all spheres of life, effective remedies should be available for victims of discrimination, and the basic principles of human dignity and equality should be realized, the Commission announced a Plenary Committee statement on June 21, urging the 21st National Assembly to work together for adoption of an equality law as soon as possible, and another Chairperson statement on November 10 to repeat similar calls for an equality law. 64