Human Rights Commission: "Despite UN Recommendations, Gender Discrimination Persists"

On the occasion of International Women's Day, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) pointed out that the government and society must make greater efforts to create a gender-equal society.

On the 8th, Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the NHRCK, stated in a press release, "Over the past 20 years, the NHRCK has recommended various legal and institutional improvements to the National Assembly and the government to improve discrimination against women in the labor market, eliminate violence, and enhance women's political representation, but real change has been slow," adding, "Women still experience violence and discrimination in various sectors of society."

Women in Korea still face discrimination. The gender wage gap in the Korean labor market has been the largest among OECD countries since 1992. Furthermore, women's representation ranks low among OECD countries, and the elements of the criminal law regarding rape and sexual assault still depend on whether the perpetrator used physical force or threats.

Accordingly, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, among others, continuously monitor and recommend improvements to Korea through international treaties and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of national human rights situations. On January 26, the UN Human Rights Council, through the 4th cycle of the UPR, recommended that Korea prevent violence against women and sexual violence, and address the gender wage gap. It also suggested strengthening the authority and role of the NHRCK to promote women's human rights.

The NHRCK explained, "Recently, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family included plans to amend the elements of criminal law regarding rape and sexual assault in the 3rd Basic Plan for Gender Equality, but the Ministry of Justice is showing signs of retreat with cautious review opinions," adding, "In May last year, the NHRCK recommended to the Speaker of the National Assembly and leaders of each political party to amend the Political Parties Act, Public Official Election Act, and party constitutions and regulations to improve gender imbalance in the political sphere, but no improvements have been made yet."

Furthermore, the NHRCK stated, "We will continue to play a role in correcting and improving structural gender discrimination in our society," and "We will do our best to ensure that recommendations from the UN and other international organizations are properly implemented so that we can move toward a gender-equal society."

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