ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Therefore, the Commission requested cooperation on January 26th to all provincial and metropolitan offices of education and called for school faculties and parties involved to raise awareness on the issue. D. ‌Chairperson’s statement commemorating the first anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster The Commission found that there was room for much improvement in the overall measures to overcome the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster. Therefore, it announced a statement on April 16th to commemorate the first anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, calling for: 1. swift operation of the Special Committee for Investigating the Sewol Ferry Disaster; and 2. ‌improvements in related legislations and institutions by the government and the National Assembly to fulfill their duties to effectively ensure the lives and safety of citizens. E. ‌Chairperson’s statement on the ruling of the Supreme Court in favor of launching the labor unions of immigrant workers Regarding the Revocation of Disposition on Return of Labor Union Establishment raised by the labor unions of immigrant workers in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, the Supreme Court ruled that: 1. ‌as long as a foreigner can be included under the scope of “worker” prescribed under the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, it is difficult to acknowledge that such a foreigner cannot be included under the scope of “worker” depending on whether he or she has obtained sojourn status as a foreigner and employment eligibility; and 2. ‌a foreigner who has not obtained sojourn status to work in the Republic of Korea pursuant to the Immigration Control Act is included under the scope of “worker” who may form or join a labor union. (Supreme Court en banc Decision 2007Du4995 Decided June 25, 2015) In response, the Commission quoted from its opinion submitted to the Supreme Court in 2008 that claimed that foreigners, including those who have not obtained sojourn status in the Republic of Korea pursuant to the Immigration Control Act, have the legal right to form a labor union in a labor relationship that has a different target of legal regulation from the forementioned provision. Then, the Commission followed with a welcoming statement on July 1st to express that it hopes to see that the court’s decision serves as an opportunity to equally ensure the right to 38 | National Human Rights Commission of Korea