[USFK Forums] Rights body stays mum on North [JoongAng]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Thursday, March 16, 2006

Rights body stays mum on North

The JoongAng Ilbo

March 16, 2006 ㅡ Despite its promise to make public a position statement on human rights abuses in North Korea by the end of last year, the National Human Rights Commission had not made up its mind as of January, an internal commission document showed. It handed over to Representative Chang Yoon-seok of the Grand National Party the minutes of a Jan. 23 meeting of the commission.

The minutes showed that the commission had decided to say nothing about the human rights abuses that North Korean defectors have testified to. “The National Human Rights Commission decided that it will not make recommendations or state positions toward the North Korean government,” the minutes quoted Cho Young-whang, the commission’s chairman, as saying. “There is, however, a majority opinion that we can raise issues regarding this matter with the South Korean government. If that is unnecessary, we can say nothing.”

Mr. Cho’s opinion, however, was not unanimously shared. One member, unidentified in the minutes, argued for a more active approach. “It was said that we must join international efforts on the North Korea human rights issue,” the member said. “We should correct our position so that we can lead them.” Before submitting the minutes to the opposition lawmaker, the commission deleted the names of all members except the chairman.

According to the minutes, the commission had a lively debate over what, if anything, to say publicly. “Last year, Choi Young-do, the chairman at the time, promised the National Assembly we would state our position by the end of 2005,”

Mr. Cho was quoted as saying. “But that deadline has already passed. We promised the National Assembly, so we cannot just skip it.”

During the meeting, commission members discussed an internal report on rights conditions in the North. The members were split over how to summarize their official position and failed to reach a compromise.

Mr. Chang criticized the commission’s reluctance. “The commission repeatedly promised to give its position on North Korea rights issues,” he said. “The National Assembly provided a budget for the commission, but it is taking its time deliberately for political reasons. North Koreans are regarded as our citizens, so it is not enough just to join international efforts.”

Separately, a pro-North Korea civic group in the South said yesterday it would send 90 delegates to Belgium to protest an international conference on North Korean human rights scheduled for next week.

The Unification Alliance for the 6.15 Joint Declaration and Peace, also known as Tongil Yeondae, said the protest would be a condemnation of Washington’s North Korea policy. The banned student organization Hanchongryon, a member of the alliance, urged university students to join the protest, claiming that the action was a patriotic move to achieve independent unification.

The human rights conference, the third in a series, will be held on March 22-23. Freedom House, a U.S. group, and Human Rights Without Frontiers, an international association, are sponsoring it; 11 South Koreans active in promoting human rights in North Korea will attend.


by Kang Joo-an, Ser Myo-ja



(END)