Part 3 | Key Activities
on North Korean Human Rights on October 20 at Portcullis House in the UK Parliament. The
conference aimed to generate international attention to the human rights situation in North
Korea, facilitate discussions on approaches to improve human rights in North Korea, and foster
international networking in this regard.
The conference consisted of three sessions: “Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief
in North Korea,” “Key Challenges to Human Rights in North Korea,” and “Approaches to
Improving Human Rights in North Korea.” During the opening ceremony, Chairperson Song
Doo-hwan and Fiona Bruce, a member of the UK Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Special
Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, delivered opening remarks. Subsequently, the first
session was chaired by Lord Alton of Liverpool, a member of the UK House of Lords and cochair of the All Parliamentary Group on North Korea. Various North Korean human rights
experts from the UK and other European countries participated in the conference to discuss the
human rights situation in North Korea and potential avenues for improvement.
L. Domestic Implementation of International Human Rights Norms
and Standards
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism established by the UN Human Rights
Council in 2006 as a core system for human rights monitoring. It involves the regular review
and examination of the human rights situation among UN Member States every four and a half
years.
The Commission actively participated in the generation of UPR recommendations from
UN Member States to improve human rights in South Korea through position papers and
oral statements to the UN Human Rights Council. Furthermore, the Commission urged the
government to implement the UPR recommendations to promote and enhance human rights in
the country.
The Commission organized meetings with human rights organizations specializing in
international human rights issues, and engaged in discussions with the Expert Committee on
International Human Rights to gather input on the key issues to be included in its independent
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Part 3 | Key Activities
Preparation for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)