respecting human rights as a preventive measure. The legislation that was pursued by the Commission as a priority project, however, failed after suffering from rivalries between ministries and other obstacles. The Commission will continue to support and pursue the legislation, because legal foundation is necessary to execute programs and meet the demand for human rights education by mental health institutions which lack resources, manpower, and budget. The Commission also recognizes the need for better communication and cooperation with civic groups which are critical of the activities carried by the Commission. Moreover, it is necessary to have greater interactions with government organizations including operation of the Human Rights Policy Consultative Body. Analyzing the overall status of its cooperation with civic groups and governmental agencies and implementing solutions for improvement of communication and cooperation is one way to achieve one of its strategic objectives of ‘enhancing the status of the Commission as a national human rights institution(hereafter 'NI') and promoting human rights’. In striving to reinforce its independence and status, the Commission should also pursue exchange and cooperation among all ranks of society ranging from the international community, government agencies, the National Assembly, political parties, and media to civic groups to achieve the common goal of creating the society that fully respect human rights. Furthermore, in line with changing conditions including more sophisticated demands from the international community and civil society and newly emerging or more comprehensive issues such as human rights in North Korea, business and human rights, and ICT(Information and Communications Technology, hereafter 'ICT') and human rights and human rights, the Commission is required to place its priority on designing effective response system. In particular, with the 19th general election and the 18th presidential election slated for in 2012 signaling political upheaval, it must remain firm in its pursuit of implementing the Human Rights Education Act, the North Korean Human Rights Act, 18 Part I. Introduction