Human Rights Commission Publishes Detailed Explanation of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Human Rights Commission announced on the 31st that it has published an explanatory document that simplifies the evaluation content of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' country report, titled "South Korea must change like this to properly uphold the rights of persons with disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reviewed the South Korean government's 2019 national report on the implementation status of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and issued its final observations in August last year. The UN welcomed the South Korean government's change in stance to comply with Article 25 of the Convention, which guarantees health and life insurance enrollment for persons with disabilities, as well as efforts to officially recognize Korean Sign Language and Braille as official languages and scripts.

However, the Committee pointed out that awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities remains insufficient and emphasized the need for related education targeting public officials, politicians, teachers, judges, journalists, and opinion leaders. Additionally, it recommended protecting persons with disabilities from disasters and emergencies, abolishing the guardianship system, and adopting a supported decision-making system that respects the decisions of persons with disabilities themselves.

The document can be downloaded from the Human Rights Commission website or the Human Rights Library website. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty that comprehensively defines the major rights to be guaranteed to persons with disabilities. It was adopted by the UN in December 2006 and ratified by 182 countries. South Korea acceded in 2008.