◀ Anchor ▶
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea abolished the practice of unanimous agreement that had been maintained for 22 years since its inception.
It has been pointed out that the decision-making of the Human Rights Commission can be virtually neutralized, but reporter Ryu Hyun-jun summarizes how it is changed and why there is controversy.
◀ Report ▶
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea changed the practice of unanimous consensus voting that had been maintained for 22 years since the commission was launched.
The Human Rights Commission changed the subcommittee, which had previously been run by three members, to a ‘four-member system’, and passed an agenda in the plenary committee to ‘automatically dismiss’ the complaint if three or more members did not agree.
Until now, if all three subcommittee members did not agree, it was customary to bring the agenda to the full committee for discussion.
However, with this agenda, the practice of subcommittees operating unanimously was abolished.
This agenda was proposed and passed by members Kim Yong-won and Lee Chung-sang, who have argued that the current human rights law does not ensure the urgency of handling complaints.
However, with the abandonment of the practice of unanimity, there are concerns that complaints may not be sufficiently discussed, effectively rendering the Human Rights Commission’s decision-making process ineffective.
Standing member Nam Gyu-seon, who opposed the agenda, explained, “The Human Rights Commission has tried to reach an agreement without a vote in the subcommittee, and if no agreement was reached, the agenda was resubmitted or sent to the plenary committee.”
On the other hand, Standing Committee member Lee Chung-sang claimed, “I am like Newton on this agenda,” and added, “I think my remarks will be established as correct over time.”
Chairman Ahn Chang-ho, who chose to abstain, said, “I think this agenda is reasonable, but I will abstain considering your concerns.”
Previously, six members, including Kim Yong-won and Lee Chung-sang, declared a ‘boycott’ of the meeting by not attending the plenary committee meeting for several months, saying that their request to vote on the agenda was not accepted.
This is Ryu Hyun-jun from MBC News.
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