National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2020 First, in the area of children’s rights, ex officio investigations were conducted on several cases of child abuse in which the parents or guardians abused the children. These cases include the death of a nine-year-old who was confined in a luggage bag by the mother, the serious, continued abuse of a nine-year-old by the family, and the month-long confinement of a ten-yearold in a children care facility. Based on the investigations, the Commission looked into prevention measures for child abuse, how the system to manage incidents is managed, proactive (ex-ante) procedures and reactive (expost) protection measures, and structural practices. It also looked at possible institutional and policy improvements to prevent child abuse and protect child victims. B. On-site Inspections In 2020, the Commission finalized four on-site inspections initiated but incomplete in the previous year. The on-site inspections of homeless welfare facilities and senior nursing homes were closed by synthesizing the results from both inspections. For homeless welfare facilities, it sent out a list of recommended improvements for each facility; for a few of the senior nursing homes visited, it made recommendations for a manual on physical restraint and improved CCTVrelated procedures. Despite the continuing COVID-19 situation, the Commission initiated seven on-site inspections. Regarding confinement facilities in the military, it visited six units primarily to inspect the functions of the facilities run by each service and conditions of pre-trial inmates, as the military guardhouse system was abolished as of August 5. Based on the findings, it made a recommendation for institutional improvements to the Minister of National Defense on October 13. In the case of correctional facilities, the Commission inspected ten facilities from June 12 to August 17 in writing or face-to-face. It had in-depth interviews with prison guards and prison doctors, inspected prison cells, isolation cells, protective custody cells, sedation rooms, and restraints, and collected opinions and materials. The number of external experts included in the inspection team was kept at a minimum due to COVID-19 concerns, and inspection of four high-risk facilities was made in writing. During the visits, the team was able to note considerable improvements in the use of restraints based on relevant instructions from the Ministry of Justice. The Commission sent the resulting inspection reports to each facility to recommend actions on certain areas. 86