National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2020
Moreover, with respect to the human rights in sport including the rights of student athletes, the
Commission produced six videos on the topic of respecting human rights in sports and uploaded
them to its YouTube channel. These contents explored possible solutions to the human rights
challenges experienced by professional athletes and helped build the public consensus on the need
to enhance human rights protection in sports.
Section 7. Assessment
In 2020, the Commission had surveys and discussions on various labor rights issues that resulted
from the emergence of new forms of labor, and looked for ways to improve institutions. It made
several policy recommendations, including prevention of bullying in the workplace and protecting
victims of bullying, and promoting the rights of subcontractors in the power generation sector.
It also reviewed policies and institutions to tackle blind spots in human rights coverage,
including protecting residents who are forcefully evicted or whose home is forcefully torn down,
and improving the short-term protection program for older persons, and addressing housing and
home care concerns of socially vulnerable groups.
By running an advisory committee to establish democratic checks on investigation authorities,
the Commission reviewed ways human rights can be guaranteed in investigation procedures and
practices. In the area of human rights in business, it concluded a memorandum of understanding
with the Ministry of Justice regarding support for businesses that practice human rights in their
business management and introduce international standards. The organization of the Business
and Human Rights Forum and publication of a source book were other efforts aimed at laying a
foundation for human rights in business management.
The Commission issued statement regarding excessive disclosure of private information of
COVID-19 patients and recommended amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Credit
Information Use and Protection Act. It was also actively involved in the protection and furthering
of rights under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including expressing opinion in relation to the
Artificial Intelligence Industry Promotion Act.
As to human rights conditions in North Korea, it looked for new ways to cooperate with North
Korea to improve their human rights situation under COVID-19. An international symposium
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