 Frank La Rue, a special envoy from the United Nations, speaks at a media briefing on his assessment of Korea’s freedom of expression at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times |
By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
Frank La Rue, a special envoy from the United Nations who inspected the nation's conditions of freedom of opinion and expression for 12 days, said Monday he got the cold shoulder from the Korean government, and a lack of cooperation from agencies here hampered his mission.
At a press conference held just hours before his departure, the envoy complained he was unable to meet any high-ranking officials of ministries related to human rights issues despite the fact that he visited the country at the invitation of the government and repeated requests for interviews in advance.
Assessing the degree of freedom of expression here, he concluded that the right to freedom of opinion and expression has markedly diminished over the last two years under the Lee Myung-bak administration.
"I am concerned that in the last two years, there has been a shrinking space for freedom of expression in Korea, primarily due to new and more restrictive interpretations and application of existing laws," La Rue said.
Among uncooperative government bodies he cited were the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Public Administration and Security, National Defense, and Foreign Affairs and Trade.
``I would like to express my deep disappointment given the critical importance of freedom of opinion and expression in building a strong democratic state that I could not meet with the President, the prime minister, nor a single minister of the government,'' the envoy said. ``Despite my requests, I was unable to meet with the prosecutor general, nor members of the National Intelligence Service.''
He added he couldn't collectively meet with even high-ranking officials of the National Human Rights Commission, including its commissioners.
``(If other rapports were treated the same as me) they would have left the country before completing their mission,'' he stressed. ``My disappointment is not a personal matter, but it's due to the importance of the issues that are entrusted to me by the United Nations Human Rights Council in the exercise of my mandate.''
He said it was likened to the situation of a party host sitting back in the kitchen with chefs greeting guests in the living room.
``While I always welcome meetings with technical experts who have substantive and detailed knowledge of the issues, I believe that it's also important for a government to convey its political commitment to human rights and to freedom of expression by arranging meetings with individuals in decision-making positions,'' he said.
Conducting a wide investigation since his arrival here on May 5, the envoy said the full respect for human rights, and in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression, has been diminished.
He said President Lee has tightened state regulation on broadcasting and media coverage following the anti-American beef protest that swept the nation two years ago.
In May, 2008, the entire country was virtually paralyzed by massive months-long street protests against the government's decision to resume importing U.S. beef, allegedly susceptible to mad cow disease.
``I hope that I can continue to engage constructively and openly with the government to reverse this trend, and my mandate stands ready to provide any assistance as they may be required,'' he said.
His final report on Korea will be given to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June 2011. Depending on the report, the council may take action.
Asked about the allegation that he was followed by agents from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during his visit, he said this was ``true'' but did not elaborate on the issue.
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