National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea C. Chairperson’s Statement on Measures for Fact-Finding and the Prevention of a Recurrence of the Sewol Ferry Accident Regarding the tragic Sewol Ferry accident, which occurred on April 16, the enactment of a special act which includes the establishment of a fact-finding committee for truth and the prevention of a recurrence, was still pending at the National Assembly while the bereaved families of the victims were in their 31st day of hunger strikes at the National Assembly and in the Gwanghwamun Square. Against this backdrop, the Commission issued the chairperson’s statement on August 13, 2014, emphasizing that it is time for every single member of our society to respond and act together in order to come up with measures for fact-finding and the prevention of a recurrence, and that politicians should gather their collective wisdom to find ways to guarantee the life and safety of the people. D. Chairperson’s Statement Calling for Measures to Stabilize the Employment of Security Guards at Apartments Starting from January 1, 2015, the minimum wage standard will be applied to apartment security guards, which is expected to increase labor costs. There was a growing concern that increased labor costs will lead to massive dismissal in an attempt to reduce expenses. Therefore, the Commission issued the chairperson’s statement on November 20, 2014, demanding the Minister of Employment and Labor to take measures to prevent massive layoffs, guarantee job security and improve the overall human rights situation of apartment security guards including conducting nation-wide surveys on the working conditions of apartment security guards. In response to the chairperson’s statement, a series of media reports on the job instability and poor treatment of apartment security guards were produced and as Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws, Regulations, Institutions, Policies and Practices ▪▪▪ 51