economy has resulted in widespread violations of human rights by businesses, not by
governments. As it is emerging as an urgent issue for the international society to address,
debates are ongoing with regard to the regulations on the human rights violations
conducted by multi-national enterprises. In response, the international society has come to
build up various measures to prevent and rectify those violations. It is notable that the
United Nations established the Framework for Business and Human Rights3) in 2008,
made a resolution on guidelines about the implementation of the Framework in 2011, and
it remains committed to its global implementation.
The revision of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises4), the establishment
of ISO 260005), sustainability reports published in compliance with GRI Guidelines6), a
growing number of enterprises joining the United Nations Global Compact7) and other
global trends attest to the fact that managing enterprises in a human rights-friendly way is
now an unavoidable mission for Korean enterprises.
As such, the NHRCK remains dedicated to responding proactively to pending human
rights issues in the context of business and ongoing efforts to develop policy agenda. To
this end, the Commission strengthened monitoring efforts to make the government's
business policies, systems and practices more friendly to human rights, and distributed
guidelines on business and human rights.
3) The Framework for Business and Human Rights (2008): Based on three principles of the country’s
duty of protecting people from human rights violations by businesses; the responsibilities of businesses
to respect human rights; and the remedies for human rights violations caused by business practices
4) The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises: Recommendations for Responsible Business
Conduct in a Global Context in 9 fields including employment, human rights, the environment, and
consumers (revised 6 times since 1976)
5) ISO 26000: Standard on corporate responsibilities (related to human rights and labor practices, etc.)
enacted by the International Standard Organization (ISO) (November 2010)
6) GRI Guidelines: A comprehensive guidance on reporting of sustainability applicable to all kinds of
institutions including small and medium-sized businesses, multinational businesses, public
service-related corporations, and the civil society
7) United Nations Global Compact (UNGC): The largest global initiative stating 10 principles in the areas
of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption
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Part II. Major Activities of the Commission