Seoul's human rights charter delayed

By Lee Kyung-min

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Sunday it has dropped a plan to finalize the Charter of Human Rights for Seoul Citizens by the end of November due to protests from gay rights opponents.

Initially, the city government planned to proclaim the charter on the occasion of World Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10, but this has become impossible, SMG officials said.

“However, it doesn’t mean that we will give up on the human rights charter project. We will continue our efforts to persuade the opponents,” an SMG official said.

The SMG’s decision follows fierce debates over whether to include a clause protecting gay rights in the charter.

“Given the significance of what the charter represents, we have been trying to finalize it by reaching a unanimous agreement rather than putting it to a vote,” the SMG official said.

“Since coming to an agreement seems unlikely, we decided to gather opinions separately,” he added.

The four-month citywide effort might turn out to be in vain, as the SMG does not plan to hold a committee meeting or a public hearing.

At the last meeting held on Nov. 28 at the City Hall, out of the 180 committee members, more than half were either absent or left during the meeting.

Their unwillingness to participate follows conservative Christian groups’ violent protest on Nov. 20, which led to the cancelling of a public hearing on the charter.

Since its initial draft in August, these gay rights opponents have staged rallies against the charter.