trouble. It also had transferred or attempted to transfer children to other institutions without their
consent. We recommended that the chairperson of the board of the social welfare foundation
in charge of the institution dismiss the head of the institution, resolve the psychological and
emotional anxiety of the children residing at the institution, and take steps to restore the
relationships between children and staff members. We also recommended that the head of the
local government with jurisdiction over the institution reinforce supervision of all institutions in
its jurisdiction. The recommendations were all accepted.
On July 26, we decided to conduct an ex officio investigation of the controversial en masse
investigation of the death of a migrant worker who died of injury caused while trying to evade
a crackdown at a construction site to find whether the crackdown proceeded in a legitimate
manner and whether proper measures were taken to save the worker's life after the accident took
place. Ex officio investigations were also conducted for the assault on a student with a disability
at a special education school and the death of a soldier with a gunshot wound at a military guard
post.
B. Visiting Investigations
We conducted visiting investigations at four mental healthcare institutions of the military and
checked the legitimacy of their hospitalization and discharge procedures and the relevance of
claims of isolation and coercion. We visited ten correctional institutions to investigate issues
regarding the procedures of investigation and punishment and, based on the investigation
results, recommended that the Minister of Justice refrain from the practice of separately
accommodating investigation targets, offer human rights education for the Correctional Rapid
Patrol Team (CPRT), and minimize the use of protective gear. We visited three public shelters
for foreigners to investigate the living conditions for long-term stay and healthcare services.
Based on the results of the investigation, we recommended that the Minister of Justice change
the shelters' overly restrictive systems, realize the selective examination of infectious diseases
for those newly entering the shelters, and offer mental healthcare programs for foreigners under
long-term protection. We visited seven rehabilitation institutions for the first time since 2009 to
conduct investigations of their living conditions and operations. The investigation results will be
reviewed to develop related policy tasks.
National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2018
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Part 2 | Commission's Major Activities
defection of North Korean workers from a restaurant in China. We conducted an ex officio