The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) is reportedly discussing the establishment of a method of receiving and discussing petitions against North Korean human rights abuses.
Even though South Korean NGOs have been recording cases of North Korean human rights abuses for some time, this is the first attempt by the government to receive, record and preserve such information. In the past, such cases were refused on the basis that it was impossible to investigate them.
Lee Yong Geun, the NHRCK’s North Korean Human Rights Team manager explained to The Daily NK today, “In order to implement the roadmap for the improvement of North Korean human rights, we plan to establish a North Korean human rights abuse reporting center and archive.”
“If the government objectively produces records and preserves cases, it will engender faith in the process,” Lee continued. “There is the need to accumulate materials on North Korean human rights as soon as possible, because there is a limit as to how long people with exceedingly special information can remember it.”
It is expected that when submissions are received by the proposed center, a research team will investigate. If evidence or third party witnesses exist to corroborate the case, they will treat the case in the same way as domestic cases. Otherwise, the archive will record and preserve them.
However, Lee reported, “The middle ground has not been found on this, so it will be discussed again on the 14th by the general committee. If the draft plan passes as expected, the center can be launched on the 23rd at a public hearing on the implementation of the roadmap for improving North Korean human rights.”
POWs, separated families and defectors will be able to submit petitions, and the North Korean Human Rights Team will conduct interviews with them. Lee added that the proposed center would seek ways to cooperate with NGOs which have been doing the job of gathering human rights cases to date.
