National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2020 Ex Officio Investigations Article 30 (3) of the NHRCK Act provides for ex officio investigations to be conducted even when no petition has been filed, as long as there is a reasonable ground to believe that there was a violation of human rights or an discriminatory act which is deemed serious. In 2020, the Commission decided to initiate eight ex officio investigations, including the four cases that were carried over from the previous year, closed six cases. Five ended with a recommendation for emergency remedies, and one with a referral to investigation authorities. On-site Inspections Article 24 (1) of the NHRCK Act provides that “the Commission may, if deemed necessary, visit a confinement or caring facility to make an investigation by its resolution.” In 2020, it decided to initiate on-site inspections in relation to seven cases, including the cases that were carried over from the previous year, finalized five cases. Three ended with a recommendation for emergency remedy, and two ended with an on-site inspection. Meanwhile, a special investigation team was newly launched in April to be responsible for onsite inspections of multi-person care facilities. The team is expected to increase the number of facilities subject to inspection, develop systematic and efficient inspections methods, and have a deterrent effect on human rights violations in this type of facilities. Human Rights Counseling The Commission offers information on remedies through phone and face-to-face counseling services. It also hires special counselors who can provide professional counseling services to those who need them, and offers interpretation services for migrant workers and wedded immigrants. In 2020, the Commission focused on high-demand areas like legal assistance, labor affairs, and human rights in general, with a view to improving efficiency of counseling services, and introduced a reservation system. Also, in cooperation with the Sign for Connect Center, it is providing full-time sign language counseling. 76