Ministry of Unification Launches 'North Korea Human Rights Promotion Committee'... "Efforts to Establish Human Rights Foundation"

Appointing Lee Jeong-hoon, Former North Korean Human Rights Ambassador, as Chairman
Democratic Party's Non-cooperation... Delay in Launching North Korean Human Rights Foundation
Human Rights Promotion Committee Likely to Temporarily Perform Foundation Functions

The Ministry of Unification has launched the North Korean Human Rights Promotion Committee and has begun full-scale preparations for the launch of the 'North Korean Human Rights Foundation.' This is to fulfill the purpose of enacting the North Korean Human Rights Act while carrying out the role of the foundation, whose launch has been delayed for seven years due to non-cooperation from the National Assembly and the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the 6th, Koo Byung-sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, stated at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, "In the situation where the establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation is delayed, we have decided to launch the North Korean Human Rights Promotion Committee as an advisory body to the Minister of Unification to practically implement the purpose of enacting the North Korean Human Rights Act."

Goo Byung-sam, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification
Photo by Yonhap News

Until the North Korean Human Rights Foundation formally launches with the cooperation of the National Assembly, the committee will perform roles such as ▲preparing for the foundation's launch ▲collecting opinions and promoting public discussion for the promotion of North Korean human rights ▲providing advice on supporting civic organizations. The first term committee members consist of 12 experts who have been involved in North Korean human rights activities, including some individuals recommended by the Ministry of Unification as directors of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation. The chairperson is Lee Jung-hoon, Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University, who served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights for one year starting in 2016.

Spokesperson Koo explained, "Under the chairmanship of Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se, the first meeting of the North Korean Human Rights Promotion Committee will be held on the 10th, where various opinions from committee members regarding the future direction of the committee's activities will be collected."

The North Korean Human Rights Act was first proposed in 2005 and passed the National Assembly without a single dissenting vote in 2016 after 11 years of bipartisan agreement. However, even seven years after the law's enactment, the North Korean Human Rights Foundation, the key institution for implementing the law, has not even met the organizational requirements for its launch. Considering that the United States enacted its North Korean Human Rights Act in 2004, one year earlier than South Korea, the realization of the North Korean Human Rights Act in Korea has effectively been delayed for 18 years.

The government must establish the North Korean Human Rights Foundation to investigate the actual situation of North Korean human rights and conduct related research according to the law. The foundation must have up to 12 directors, including a chairman, with two recommended by the Ministry of Unification and the remaining ten recommended equally by the ruling and opposition parties. The Ministry of Unification recommended two candidates for the government quota in September last year, and the People Power Party also submitted five candidates to the National Assembly Secretariat. However, the Democratic Party of Korea has continuously refused to recommend any candidates.

On the 3rd, marking the 7th anniversary of the enactment of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the Ministry of Unification urged, "The National Assembly should recall the 'spirit of bipartisan agreement' at the time of the law's enactment and cooperate for the normal implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act."

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