Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korean to lead UN Human Rights Council
By Yi Whan-woo
Choi Kyong-lim
By Yi Whan-woo
The U.N. Human Right Council (UNHRC) elected South Korean diplomat Choi Kyong-lim as its president at its annual board of directors meeting in Geneva, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
Choi, a permanent representative of Seoul’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva, will replace Joachim Rucker of Germany from January 2016 for a one-year term.
He will be the 10th president of the council, set up in 2006. The presidency rotates by region among the UNHRC’s five regional groups ― Africa, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
This is the first time that a South Korean has been elected head of a U.N agency dealing with human rights-related issues, including North Korea’s state-perpetrated violations, according to officials here.
“The U.N.’s decision shows the international community highly values South Korea’s rapid democratization and improvement of human rights conditions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Choi will chair council meetings involving the UNHRC’s 47 member states and civic groups, including non-profit organizations. He will also be responsible for carrying out the Universal Periodic review, a regular assessment of international human rights records.
The UNHRC has played a key role in stepping up pressure against North Korea for its crimes against humanity. In June, it opened a permanent office in Seoul to exclusively investigate Pyongyang’s human rights abuses in line with the U.N. Commission of Inquiry’s report released in February 2014. The report accused the Kim Jong-un of running political prison camps where up to 120,000 people are thought to be detained.
“With Choi being elected, the government will bolster its efforts to actively take a part in the U.N.-led campaign to promote human rights worldwide,” the mi