Human Rights Commission: Former Lawmaker Park Young-soon's Remark "Trash Came from North Korea" Constitutes Human Rights Violation

Controversy During Last Year's National Assembly Government Inquiry Session

Last year, during a National Assembly interpellation session, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) ruled that the remark made by then Democratic Party lawmaker Park Young-soon, who said to Tae Yong-ho, a defector and then member of the People Power Party, "Trash has come from North Korea," constituted a human rights violation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 17th, the NHRCK's First Committee on Relief of Human Rights Violations announced, "We have decided to recommend that the Speaker of the National Assembly promptly initiate disciplinary procedures when lawmakers violate Article 146 of the National Assembly Act by making insulting remarks about others, and to establish measures accordingly."

On September 6 last year, during the 21st National Assembly interpellation session, former lawmaker Park Young-soon sparked controversy by saying to former lawmaker Tae Yong-ho, "Trash came out of North Korea, trash."

The NHRCK stated, "In the 22nd National Assembly as well, numerous incidents of lawmakers repeatedly making insulting remarks about others continue to occur, and petitions demanding strong relief measures for the victims are continuously being received. Considering the serious negative impact that such human rights-violating remarks by lawmakers have on society, we plan to promptly recommend effective relief measures to the Speaker of the National Assembly and strive to ensure their implementation."

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