Blue House Defends Its Position Amid Criticism of 'Human Rights Commission Independence Violation' (Comprehensive)

Tens of Thousands of Petitions on 'Human Rights and Gender Equality'... Only Former Minister Cho Kuk's Case Received an Official Document Signed by the Blue House Chief of Staff

Cheong Wa Dae Panorama / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Blue House sent an official letter containing a public petition titled 'Investigation Request on Human Rights Violations during the Investigation of Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk' to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Regarding the controversy over infringement of independence, on the 15th, it stated, "There are opinions criticizing it, and we have our own stance."

A senior Blue House official said this on the afternoon of the same day at the Press Center when asked about the criticism that the Blue House's act of sending an official letter to the NHRCK under the name of Chief Presidential Secretary Noh Young-min regarding the petition related to former Minister Cho constituted an 'infringement of independence.'

The NHRCK is an independent organization not affiliated with the legislative, judicial, or executive branches, as clearly stipulated in Article 3 of the National Human Rights Commission Act. This was also included in the Blue House's response to the public petition released on the 13th.

The Blue House sent two official letters to the NHRCK concerning the petition claiming that former Minister Cho and his family suffered human rights violations during the investigation of allegations against them. According to the Blue House's explanation, the first cooperation letter under Chief Secretary Noh's name was sent to the NHRCK on the 7th. In response, on the 8th, the NHRCK replied that "according to the Human Rights Commission Act, if a petition is received, the case must be dismissed unless it is submitted with a real name, so an investigation can only proceed if the petition is submitted with a real name." Although the letter was sent under Chief Secretary Noh's name, the petitioner was anonymous, making it difficult to accept the petition. The Blue House used this as the basis for drafting its response to the public petition.

However, on the 9th, a second official letter was again delivered to the NHRCK. The Blue House explained this as a 'mistake.' A senior Blue House official said, "An unconfirmed letter was mistakenly sent, and upon realizing this, we requested the NHRCK to discard the letter," adding, "The NHRCK agreed, and the matter was resolved."

Subsequently, on the 13th, when the Blue House publicly released its response to the public petition, it disclosed, "An official letter was sent to the National Human Rights Commission under the name of the Chief Presidential Secretary," and "The NHRCK conveyed that if the petition received through the Blue House public petition system is judged to involve human rights violations, it can initiate an investigation." This was an unprecedented case of the Blue House sending an official letter to the NHRCK based on a public petition. The Blue House emphasized that it was not a referral letter urging an investigation, stating, "The decision will be made by the NHRCK."

Immediately, controversy arose over the infringement of the NHRCK's independence. The NHRCK explained that it "returned" the letter. On the day the public petition response was released, concerned about the controversy, the NHRCK even separately requested the Blue House to clearly discard the letter. The Blue House sent a letter requesting disposal in accordance with the NHRCK's request.

Although the Blue House claimed it was a 'mistake,' the second letter reportedly contained content beyond simple cooperation, intensifying the controversy. There are criticisms that it effectively pressured the NHRCK to investigate human rights violations related to former Minister Cho.

Since the petition is related to former Minister Cho, suspicions of 'political intent' have also been raised. In fact, tens of thousands of petitions related to the 'Human Rights and Gender Equality' category have been submitted through the Blue House public petition system, but this is the first time the Blue House has directly sent an official letter to the NHRCK. Despite President Moon Jae-in stating at the New Year's press conference the day before that "I hope we can let go of former Minister Cho and end the conflicts surrounding that issue," the controversy over the infringement of the NHRCK's independence seems to have reignited the conflict.

Fifteen human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Movement Sarangbang, issued a statement titled "We urge the Blue House and the NHRCK to reflect on the official letter dispatch incident that may infringe on independence," criticizing, "By sending the letter under the Chief Secretary's name, it was handled in a way that appeared not as a simple 'transmission' but as an 'instruction,'" and "It is also problematic that the Blue House disclosed that the NHRCK 'can initiate an investigation'."

They continued, "If the Blue House and the NHRCK try to treat this as a mere incident and overlook it, they will face strong criticism from civil society," and raised their voices, saying, "In a reality where the Moon Jae-in administration and the NHRCK have fallen short of expectations on many human rights issues such as anti-discrimination law and labor rights, the independence of the NHRCK must not be shaken."