Opinions on the first National Report of Korea on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 1. Introduction 1.1 National Human Rights Commission of Korea ① The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) was established as an independent organization to protect and promote human rights under the National Human Rights Commission Act on November 25, 2001. ② The Commission plays the role of a monitoring organization which promotes, protects and monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (hereinafter referred to as the “Convention”) by conducting investigations on complaints of discrimination on the basis of disability submitted by individuals and groups and providing access to remedies, and conducting investigations on complaints related to welfare facilities for persons with disabilities and psychiatric clinics, making recommendations and expressing opinions to improve laws, systems, policies and practices related to discrimination against disability, and conducting ex-officio and onsite investigations on discrimination against persons with disabilities. ③ The Industrial Accidents Compensation and Insurance Act stipulates that a worker with a disability, for instance, whose artificial leg was damaged while working on duty shall not be eligible for medical care benefit since an artificial leg is not a biological part of a human body. Recently, the Commission submitted an opinion to the Supreme Court that such a provision of the Industrial Accidents Compensation and Insurance Act constitutes discrimination against persons with disabilities, and the Supreme Court accordingly made a ruling in July 2014 that an artificial leg shall be recognized as part of a human body. NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF KOREA 1