National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2022 at revoking human rights ordinances and released an official statement from the Chairperson expressing the Commission’s stance. The 2022 Human Rights Defenders Conference, held as an in-person event after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, served as a valuable platform for diverse stakeholders, including human rights organizations, experts, and officials responsible for human rights in local governments. Under the theme of “Ten Years of Human Rights Institutionalization in the Regions: Current Status and Prospects of Local Government Human Rights Systems,” participants had the opportunity to share insights and collaborate on pressing human rights issues. Additionally, through the Local Human Rights Committee, concerted efforts were made to enhance the expertise and effectiveness of local human rights work, in line with the growing trend of institutionalizing human rights administration at the local level (enactment of human rights ordinances, establishment of departments dedicated to human rights affairs, and operation of human rights committees). Each Regional Human Rights Office actively engaged in addressing human rights issues and promoting collaboration through the establishment of regional human rights education councils, human rights policy forums, and inter-agency consultation bodies. These initiatives aimed to foster a culture of human rights and advance related projects. 5) Enhancing Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Military In response to public sentiment and demands from civil society regarding the need to eradicate human rights violations within the military, the National Assembly passed a partial amendment to the NHRCK Act in December 2021, which led to the establishment and empowerment of the Military Human Rights Protector. Consequently, the position was officially inaugurated on July 1, 2022. To establish and strengthen the operational framework of the newly established Bureau of Human Rights in Military, several measures were implemented, including developing work plans for the bureau, establishing the Military Death Incident Management System (e-Report System), providing training to enhance the capacity of the bureau staff, establishing a system to offer psychological support to staff involved in military death incidents, and publishing a compilation of military human rights rulings. In addition, to facilitate informed deliberations 68