Introduction
The Commission organized symposiums and other meetings to facilitate the domestic
application of international human rights standards and urged the government to join international
human rights conventions to which it is not yet a party and to withdraw reservations
In 2019, the Commission made 27 policy recommendations in relation to the political freedom
of public officials and teachers, the labor rights of indirectly hired workers and those working
in large-scale stores, the human rights of children of prisoners, the right to childcare for migrant
children, and prevention of sexual harassment and sexual violence in culture and the arts. This
number is similar to that of the previous year (28 policy recommendations).
The Commission issued 74 opinions, up 42 (131%) from the previous year. The increase can
be attributed to an active response undertaken on a number of pending human rights cases related
to proposed amendments to the Military Service Act, Act on the Performance of Duties by Police
Officers, Immigration Act, Protection of Communications Secrets Act, Personal Information
Protection Act, and the Mental Health and Welfare Act, as well as those related to labor, migrants,
refugees, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
The Commission submitted two opinions, one to the Supreme Court in relation to the
damage claim filed by the state against the labor union of Ssangyong Motor, and the other to the
Constitutional Court regarding a constitutional appeal on illegal abortion. This is one case less
compared to the previous year, indicating a need for more active engagement with the courts and
the Constitutional Court on issues that have significant impacts on the safeguard and promotion of
human rights.
In 2019, more petitions were filed with the Commission compared to the previous year (9,737
filed in 2019), but there were less petitions processed (9,136) and remedied (1,044). However,
there were 30 more policy recommendations and opinions expressed in response to petitions filed.
The operation of a team dedicated to preliminary investigation, which was established in August
2018 within the Human Rights Counseling and Mediation Center, helped reduce the workload
on individual investigators, allowing them to concentrate more on investigating and identifying
human rights agenda.
In addition to investigating petitions, the Commission also relied on ex officio investigations
and emergency reliefs for pending issues. Based on the results of investigations, it made some
meaningful recommendations to improve practices not in line with the safeguard of human rights,
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