Rights agency occupied by disabled

Physically-challenged people demand chairman quit

By Park Si-soo

Some 200 disabled people occupied the headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission, Friday, to stage a sit-in protest, denouncing what they claimed to be backpedalling of human rights conditions of their peers in Korea.

They urged the commission’s Chairman Hyun Byung-chul to step down to take responsibility for failing to protect the rights of the disabled. They also demanded the human rights agency be more active in steps to prod the Lee Myung-bak administration to expand the budget for the disabled.

Their occupation coincided with the International Day of Disabled Persons, which fell Friday, they said.

The chairman, appointed by conservative President Lee, has been accused among liberal human rights activists of leading the independent human rights watchdog in a manner friendly to the government.

In protest, two standing commissioners and a non-standing commissioner offered to resign last month. The internal feud is still unfolding.

The protesters said in a statement the chairman had turned back the clock on human rights.

“Hyun should leave to maintain the commission as an independent state body upholding rights of the disabled and the weak,” the statement said.

It said the recent revolt is proof that the state human rights watchdog is gradually falling under the influence of the conservative administration.

On top of the revolt scandal, human rights activists have been at odds with President Lee for downsizing the organization. Last year, the government dismissed 21.2 percent of its employees in a downsizing scheme.