Human Rights Commission: "National Assembly Must Promptly Recommend Directors for North Korea Human Rights Foundation"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has urged the National Assembly to promptly recommend directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation.

On the 3rd, Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the NHRCK, stated in a press release, "We urge Kim Jin-pyo, Speaker of the National Assembly, to promptly complete the recommendation of directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation," adding, "Through bipartisan cooperation within the National Assembly, the representative institution of the people, it is possible to pursue stable and predictable North Korean human rights policies."

In the past, the NHRCK issued recommendations, opinions, and statements urging the Speaker of the National Assembly to enact the North Korean Human Rights Act, which was enacted on March 3, 2016, and came into effect on September 4, 2016. Article 10 of the North Korean Human Rights Act stipulates the establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation to conduct investigations into the human rights situation in North Korea and research related to the promotion of human rights.

However, despite seven years having passed since the enactment of the law, the North Korean Human Rights Foundation has not been launched. According to Article 12, Paragraph 1 of the North Korean Human Rights Act, directors of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation must be recommended by the National Assembly, but this has not yet occurred. In 2019, the U.S. Department of State pointed out the delay in launching the North Korean Human Rights Foundation in its country reports on human rights practices. The UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea has also repeatedly urged the practical implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act, including the establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation.

The NHRCK stated, "We hope that the National Assembly will complete the recommendation of directors for the North Korean Human Rights Foundation to establish a foundation for the proper enforcement of the North Korean Human Rights Act," adding, "In accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the National Assembly should also promptly recommend members of the 'Advisory Committee for the Promotion of North Korean Human Rights,' so that the 3rd Basic Plan for the Promotion of North Korean Human Rights can be substantively established."