Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee Launches Human Rights Protection Advisory Group... Strengthening Citizens' Human Rights

Formation of a 12-Member Human Rights Protection Advisory Group to Implement Human Rights Protection in Autonomous Police

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has formed the ‘Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee Human Rights Protection Advisory Group,’ consisting of experts from various fields, to establish a human rights protection foundation for the committee’s major policies. The advisory meeting was held on the 26th, marking the beginning of its full-scale operation.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 25th, the advisory group was composed of 12 experts and practitioners in three fields?human rights, law, and women & youth?recommended by the Autonomous Police Committee members and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. To ensure objectivity, fairness, and rationality in human rights advisory work, the group was formed considering gender, work fields, and age, consisting of 5 members in human rights, 4 in law, and 3 in women & youth.

The committee expects that various opinions from human rights experts will be presented regarding the committee’s major policies through meetings. The meetings will be held quarterly as regular meetings and additionally as ad hoc meetings when special agendas arise. The advisory group will be responsible for diagnosing policies and providing human rights advice to ensure that the autonomous police system protects citizens’ human rights in accordance with its purpose, including △compliance with due process △prohibition of discrimination △protection of socially vulnerable groups.

Starting with the first advisory meeting, under the slogan ‘Comfortable for Citizens, Safe for Seoul,’ the advisory group will play the role of ‘Advisor for Human Rights Autonomous Police’ by prioritizing the ‘citizens’ perspective,’ including human rights impact assessment advice on policies and projects that significantly affect the protection of citizens’ human rights. The advisory group will also act as a collaborator in practically establishing the human rights autonomous police system by proposing human rights perspectives on Seoul’s autonomous police system, policies, and projects, as well as advising on content and composition when producing human rights education materials.

The advisory group will provide human rights advice on the autonomous police’s duties by utilizing the experiences and expertise of experts from various fields to meet the increasing demands for human rights protection from citizens during the autonomous police’s performance of their duties.

Kim Hak-bae, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, said, “As it has been almost a year since the implementation of the autonomous police system, we will do our best to discover and promote human rights policies that respect and prioritize citizens’ human rights first, fulfilling the role of a citizen-friendly human rights autonomous police.”

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