ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL Media's role critical in protecting human rights
Choi Young-ae
By Choi Young-ae
I extend my warmest congratulations to The Korea Times on the 70th anniversary of its first publication. As Korea's oldest continuously published English-language newspaper, The Korea Times has been serving as a bridge linking Korea and the world.
In particular, I greatly appreciate its role of promptly delivering local and international news to readers all across the world and the significant contributions it has made to the realization of the right to knowledge.
For all the changes in the media ecosystem over the years, the fundamental role of the media remains the same. They provide facts and information for the public, shape public opinion and shed light on social issues. The media should continue to have a substantial impact on our society going forward.
While I am working to promote and protect human rights of all persons as chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), I believe the media plays an equally important role in defending human rights by placing the issue high on the public agenda, promoting public awareness and cultivating a culture that respects human rights.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea produces and distributes about 250 press releases annually to publicize the human rights situation of Korea, including rights abuses and discriminatory acts, and its recommendations and opinions regarding possible legal and institutional reforms with a view to promoting human rights awareness of our society.
However, without contributions from the media, the commission would not have been able to make its activities known to the public and improve human rights protections in our society to the level seen today.
The Korea Times, by distributing human rights news of Korea to readers here and other parts of the world, thus plays a particularly important role in defending human rights.
At the international level, U.N. human rights bodies, including the U.N. Human Rights Council, periodically review human rights situations of each state and issue recommendations and opinions for enhancing human rights protections. I believe that both the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the media have a significant role to play to ensure the effectiveness of these international human rights monitoring mechanisms.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea is an institution founded in 2001 based on the Paris Principles (principles relating to the status of national human rights institutions, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1993), which is generally categorized as a quasi-international and quasi-judicial organization. Its primary functions are to implement universal human rights standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights treaties at the national level and ensure the consistency of domestic laws with international human rights norms.
The media has been critical in disseminating information on the commission's international cooperation and Korea's human rights situation to the international community along with concerns and recommendations from international bodies to Korean society. In this regard, The Korea Times plays a particularly important role as an English-language newspaper.
Both globally and locally we are witnessing a rise in human rights abuses, hate and discrimination against minorities and vulnerable groups such as women, children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, migrants and LGBTI persons.
The commission has been acutely aware of the severity of the problem from the beginning and created a hate speech project team in 2019 to encourage a public dialogue on the issues of hate and discrimination and undertake awareness-raising campaigns here and abroad. In June 2020, the commission presented an opinion calling for the prompt introduction of an equality law, along with a draft legislation, to the National Assembly.
It makes little sense to distinguish the roles of government institutions or media when it comes to building a society where all persons live with dignity and are treated equally. Thus, I hope that The Korea Times promotes human rights awareness of its readers and gathers their support for human rights causes by providing objective coverage of human rights issues in Korea.
The commission will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Korea and elsewhere and present recommendations and opinions on legal and institutional reforms with the aim to promote and protect the rights of everyone. We will spare no efforts in turning Korea into a leader in human rights protection.
Once again, I offer my sincere congratulations for the 70th anniversary of The Korea Times and wish for its robust growth going forward.
Choi Young-ae is the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.