Chapter 1 Improvement of Laws, Regulations, Policies and Practices Section 1. Overview Pursuant to Article 19 (1), (4) and (7) and Article 25 of the National Human Rights Commission Act, Commission carried out various activities including conducting surveys on human rights conditions, submitting recommendations and opinions on relevant laws, regulations, policies, and practices, as well as facilitating accession to and implementation of international human rights treaties to promote compliance with the treaties in Korea. In order to execute these tasks, the Commission is empowered to request cooperation from government agencies, local governments, and other public and private organizations (Article 20), hold hearings (Article 23), and submit its opinions on trials that may have a significant impact on the protection of human rights to the competent court or the Constitutional Court (Article 28). In addition, the Commission is mandated to submit an annual report on its activities in the preceding year and a report on the latest human rights conditions and improvement measures to the President of the Republic of Korea and the National Assembly (Article 29). It may also create expert committees (Article 12) and advisory bodies (Article 15) by special interests. In 2011, the Commission dedicated itself to improving laws, regulations, policies, and practices with human rights implications including economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights. It paid special attention to protecting the right to freedom which is directly related to lives of people. To this end, the Commission conducted on-site research and studies on pending issues, while collecting opinions of experts by organizing various discussion sessions and meetings. It also adopted a comprehensive approach to improving human rights conditions by Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws, Regulations, Policies and Practices 43