Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws and Regulations, Institution, Policies, and Practices National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2013 Section 1. Overview Pursuant to Article 19 Subparagraphs 1, 4 and 7, and Article 25 of the National Human Rights Commission Act, the NHRCK carries out various activities, including conducting investigations on human rights conditions, issuing recommendations and opinions on human rights-related laws, regulations, policies and practices as well as on the accession to and implementation of international human rights treaties in order to facilitate the implementation of the treaties in Korea. In order to execute these responsibilities, the Commission is empowered to request cooperation from government agencies, local/provincial governments, and other public and private organizations (Article 20), hold hearings (Article 23), and submit its opinions to the competent court or the Constitutional Court (Article 28) about litigations that may have a significant impact on the protection of human rights. In addition, the Commission may present an annual report on its activities of the preceding year and a report on the latest human rights conditions and improvement measures to the President of the Republic of Korea and the National Assembly (Article 29). It may form, for different areas that are under its jurisdiction, expert committees (Article 12) and advisory bodies (Article 15). In 2013, the NHRCK remained committed to improving laws, Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws and Regulations, Institution, Policies, and Practices ▪▪▪ 29