Four Candidates Shortlisted for Human Rights Commissioner Chair... Song Doohwan, Ahn Jin, Yeom Hyungkuk, and Jung Kangja Recommended

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The Human Rights Commission Chairperson Candidate Recommendation Committee (Candidate Recommendation Committee) has recommended four candidates to the President to select the successor to Choi Young-ae, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, whose term expires this September.

The Candidate Recommendation Committee announced on the 6th that it recommended Song Doo-hwan (72), Chief Attorney at Law Firm Hangyeol; Ahn Jin (63), Professor at Chonnam National University Law School; Yeom Hyung-guk (47), Attorney at the Gonggam Public Interest Human Rights Foundation; and Jeong Gang-ja (68), Co-Chairperson of the National Citizens' Conference for Social Dialogue on Peaceful Unification Vision, to the appointing authority, the President, as candidates for the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission.

The Candidate Recommendation Committee consists of nine members appointed by President Moon, who gathered public opinion from civil society and the legal community. The committee held its first meeting on the 14th of last month, deciding on candidate screening and recruitment methods. Subsequently, from the 15th to the 25th of the same month, it conducted an open recruitment process and recommended four candidates after reviewing written applications and hearing their visions from five applicants. The President will nominate the final candidate from among them, who will then undergo a National Assembly confirmation hearing before final appointment.

Candidate Song Doo-hwan has served as a Justice of the Constitutional Court, President of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), and Human Rights Director of the Korean Bar Association. Candidate Ahn Jin is currently serving as a regional human rights expert member of the Human Rights Commission and has held positions such as Chairperson of the Gwangju Human Rights Promotion Citizens' Committee, Director of the Public Interest Human Rights Law Center at Chonnam National University, and Executive Representative of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Women's Organizations Federation.

Candidate Yeom Hyung-guk currently serves as the General Director of the Disabled Law Research Association and as a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Human Rights Commission, and has been a member of the Human Rights Commission's Mental Disability Expert Committee. Candidate Jeong Gang-ja has served as Co-Representative of People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Standing Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, and Co-Representative of the Korean Women's Minwoo Association.

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