Human Rights Commission Recommends Police to "Confirm Provision of Interpretation Services During Foreign National Investigations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that the police must determine whether interpretation is necessary when investigating foreigners who can engage in everyday conversations in Korean.

The Human Rights Commission stated on the 23rd, "Conducting investigations of foreigners without interpretation or the participation of a trusted person, simply because communication in Korean is somewhat possible, constitutes a violation of equality rights and personal freedom," and recommended disciplinary actions, job training, and system improvements to the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency and the chiefs of the relevant police stations.

According to the Human Rights Commission, Mr. A, a Moroccan national, got into an altercation with a passerby in March and was arrested on the spot on suspicion of assault. Mr. A's wife filed a complaint, saying, "While Mr. A was working with a moving ladder truck, a passerby whom he had never seen before approached, verbally abused him, and tried to take photos, covering the back of the phone camera to block the photo. Feeling threatened by this behavior, we reported it to the police." She added, "The responding officers arrested Mr. A on the spot and investigated him at the police box and police station without an interpreter."

The police claimed, "At the time, there was no problem communicating in Korean, and Mr. A also said he had no difficulty speaking Korean, so the investigation was conducted without providing an interpreter or involving a trusted person."

However, the Human Rights Commission judged, "Communication was not smooth when difficult vocabulary was used or when speaking at length, and Mr. A did not understand the meaning of legal terms such as 'arrest on the spot' or 'suspect.' Foreigners may be unfamiliar with or lack understanding of our country's criminal procedures, so special care is required to prevent disadvantages or discrimination."

The Human Rights Commission added, "We recommend preparing materials translated into various languages for documents that the parties must read and complete themselves, such as the Miranda rights notification confirmation, voluntary accompaniment confirmation, and guides on criminal procedures, and actively utilizing them at frontline police boxes and precincts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.