② Opinion on the Promotion of the Right to Health of North Korean Defectors As part of its efforts to promote the right to health of North Korean defectors, the NHRCK expressed its opinions as follows: i) that the Minister of Unification should pave the wave for providing North Korean defectors entering Korea with stable medical services by recruiting more full-time medical staff for an office providing settlement assistance services for North Korean defectors (“the Hana Center”); ii) the connection between medical programs of the Hana Center and on-site medical services of health centers should be strengthened to help North Korean defectors more easily gain access to medical information; and, iii) the medical assistance system should be reinforced to enable North Korean defectors leaving the Hana Center to receive regular checkups through guidance and counseling programs. To this end, the Commission also expressed its opinion to the Minister of Public Administration and Security on the necessity for relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Unification, to cooperate with the request of the Hana Center for more full-time medical staff. (December 6, 2012) ③ The Chairperson’s Statement on Protecting Human Rights of North Korean Human Rights Activists Detained in China and Harm from Torture Four North Korean human rights activists including Kim Young-hwan were arrested and detained by the Chinese authorities, and in this process, the human rights of those Koreans were violated by the Ministry of State Security of China which refused their right to have the assistance of a lawyer. In response to this, the NHRCK called on the Chinese government to approve their immediate access to the Korean consul in China and provide lawyers, and at the same time, announced its Chairperson’s statement calling for the Korean government’s proactive involvement in ensuring the safety of the detainees and their swift release by using its full diplomatic weight. (May 24, 2012) Despite their release in the form of deportation, the four activists were found to have suffered harsh treatment like electrical torture while being detained in China. In response to this, the Commission once again announced its Chairperson’s statement that the Chinese Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws, Regulations, Policies and Practices 71