Human Rights Commission Audit Clash: Ruling Party Criticizes Ahn Changho's "Below Average Human Rights Sensitivity," Ahn Responds "Mostly False"

Ahn Changho Acknowledges Unconstitutionality of Martial Law After Delay

During the National Assembly's Steering Committee audit of the National Human Rights Commission, Democratic Party lawmakers engaged in a heated debate with Chairperson Ahn Changho over whether the 12·3 Martial Law was unconstitutional. Chairperson Ahn initially avoided answering, but ultimately acknowledged that it was unconstitutional.

Ahn Changho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, is responding to questions from committee members during the National Assembly's Operations Committee's audit of the National Human Rights Commission held on the 5th in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 5th, Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Young asked Chairperson Ahn during the audit, "Was the 12·3 Martial Law measure unconstitutional? Please answer briefly with yes or no." In response, Chairperson Ahn said, "I respect the impeachment decision regarding the president," but did not give a clear answer on whether it was unconstitutional.

Later, when Democratic Party lawmaker Chae Hyunil asked, "Was the 12·3 Martial Law unconstitutional or constitutional?" Chairperson Ahn replied, "Didn't I just say I respect the Constitutional Court's decision?" However, after repeated questioning, Chairperson Ahn finally stated that he acknowledges the martial law was unconstitutional.

Chairperson Ahn also faced criticism for not blocking the "guarantee of defense rights for former President Yoon Suk Yeol" agenda item during the impeachment proceedings against Yoon. Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Geumjoo argued that Chairperson Ahn should resign, saying, "Your sensitivity to human rights falls short of even the average."

Chairperson Ahn countered, "There are calls for my resignation, claiming the Human Rights Commission is being mismanaged, but most of these arguments are based on false information. I am confident that those who know the truth would never say such things."

Regarding allegations of inappropriate physical contact with a female employee in an elevator, Chairperson Ahn explained, "Her hairpin was about to fall off, so I tapped her and told her to take care of it."

Chairperson Ahn added, "I have nearly 40 years of experience as a judge, and I have lived my life according to the law and my conscience, doing my best for the human rights of the people. I can confidently say that some of the allegations raised are either untrue or distortions of the facts."

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