'Yoon's Right to Defense Guaranteed' by Human Rights Commission, Full Committee Meeting Disrupted Amid Civic Group Protests

Chairman Ahn Blocked from Entering the Meeting Room from Around 2 p.m.

The full committee meeting of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRCK), which sparked controversy by putting forward the agenda item 'Guaranteeing President Yoon Seok-yeol's Right to Defense,' ultimately ended in deadlock.

Members of the Korean Government Employees' Union and the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination are blocking Ahn Chang-ho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, from attending the plenary session of the National Human Rights Commission held on the afternoon of the 13th at the Human Rights Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The NHRCK was scheduled to hold the '2025 1st Full Committee Meeting' at 3 p.m. on the 13th but has yet to proceed with the meeting. Civic groups, including the National Public Officials Union, which includes NHRCK employees, and the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon), staged a protest starting around 2 p.m. in the corridor in front of the 14th-floor meeting room of the NHRCK building in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the full committee meeting was to be held, demanding the withdrawal of the 'Emergency Agenda Supporting Treason.' They blocked the entry of Chairman Ahn, who attempted to enter the meeting room, as well as standing commissioners Lee Choong-sang and Kim Yong-won.

The NHRCK planned to hold the full committee meeting that day to discuss agenda items including ▲the Speaker of the National Assembly withdrawing the impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to allow him to perform the duties of Acting President ▲the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court to promptly hear and decide the impeachment trial against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ahead of other impeachment cases ▲and thoroughly guaranteeing the right to defense of the respondent in the impeachment trial against President Yoon Seok-yeol. However, once it became known that these agenda items were put forward, controversy arose over whether the NHRCK was siding with treason.

The National Public Officials Union, including NHRCK employees, held a press conference in front of the NHRCK that afternoon, stating, "In a serious situation where the people's human rights were violated due to the December 3 emergency martial law incident, the NHRCK, which took no action for over a month, is now attempting to issue recommendations defending the main perpetrators of treason," and called for the resignation of Chairman Ahn Chang-ho and some commissioners.