NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF KOREA Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – July 2022 Article 5 Equality and Non-discrimination 4-1 Expansion of manpower and enhancement of independence of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea ⁕Including LOI 34-b □ Current status and problems ㅇ The Committee recommended to expanding manpower and enhancing the independence of the Commission and to providing sufficient personnel and finance to effectively monitor the implementation status of the Convention in the 1st Concluding Observation. However, there is no progress in strengthening the independence of the Commission and expanding human resources for the implementation of the Convention. ㅇ The Commission, in order to strengthen independence in the budget and organization, devised and discussed a Partial Amendment to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea Act in February 2021 which stipulates the Commission as an independent institution pursuant to Article 40 of the National Finance Act and allows the Commission to decide matters concerning organization and operation of the Commission by setting rules; however, it is difficult to even propose the amendment due to objections by the Government. In order for the Commission to effectively monitor the implementation of the Convention, reform of law and institutions, cooperation with the government and strengthening of the independence of the Commission are needed. □ Recommendations ㅇ To expand and strengthen the functions of the Commission to monitor the domestic implementation of the Convention, independence of the Commission has to be guaranteed in terms of organization, human resources and budget, and dedicated personnel for the effective implementation of the Convention and investigators who investigate disability-related complaints has to be expanded. 9