Asia-Pacific forum urges Lee to rethink moving human rights commission to Sejong
The letter from the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions follows the government's announcement that six institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission, would move from Seoul to Sejong, the de facto administrative capital.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea building in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 4, 2022YONHAP
An international human rights body on Thursday asked President Lee Jae Myung to rethink his plan to move the National Human Rights Commission of Korea office from Seoul to Sejong, warning that the relocation could compromise the commission’s independence and keep vulnerable people from seeking help.
The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) sent Lee a letter, issued under the name of APF Chairperson Samar Khaled al Haj Hassan. The letter expressed concern over the Korean government’s plan to relocate the commission to Sejong, the administrative city about 120 kilometers (74.6 miles) south of Seoul, in the first half of 2027 and called for him to reconsider the plan through consultation with the commission.
The letter follows the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s announcement earlier this month that six institutions, including the commission, would move to Sejong. The relocation is the second phase of the government’s plan to center central government agencies in the de facto administrative capital.
The commission’s current headquarters is in Jung District, central Seoul.
The APF is a regional network of 26 national human rights institutions across the Asia-Pacific. It sent the letter through Korea’s United Nations embassy in Geneva, which then delivered it to Lee, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
The APF warned that placing the commission near the other government agencies that it monitors could undermine its independence.
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions addresses the issue in its General Observations on the Paris Principles, the official guidelines on the status of national human rights institutions.
“Where a [national human rights institution’s] offices are too close to government [ones], this may not only compromise the perceived independence of the [institution] but also risk deterring complainants,” the guidelines state.
The move would also make the commission harder to reach for people with disabilities and others with limited mobility, such as older adults, migrants and those facing economic hardship, the letter said.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung, center, briefs reporters on the government's relocation plan for central government agencies at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 13.NEWS1
When the commission moved its offices from near Seoul City Hall to its current location in Jeo-dong in Jung District in 2015 because of rent issues, it chose a site near a subway station in part to ensure access for socially vulnerable groups.
The commission’s own labor union has also criticized the relocation.
“The relocation to Sejong is a measure that completely disregards the status and role of the commission as an independent body,” the union said in a statement on Wednesday, emphasizing how the commission does not belong to the legislative, judicial or executive branch.
“We express deep regret that this decision was made unilaterally without any consultation.”
Commissioners discussed the plan at an extraordinary plenary meeting on Oct. 15.
“The current [location] allows people to visit freely without undergoing a separate entry screening so that [they] can report human rights violations without fear, but if it is near government agencies, that factor will be significantly affected,” National Human Rights Commission Standing Commissioner Kim Hak-ja told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “It is regrettable to the point that it makes me question the current government’s awareness of human rights.”
The Interior Ministry said that discussing the move with each institution was not realistically feasible and that it made the decision because it considers the commission’s independence unrelated to its location.
“In addition to the human rights commission, independent bodies, such as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Board of Audit and Inspection, are also subject to relocation to Sejong,” a ministry official said. “We viewed guaranteeing independence in carrying out duties and where an institution is as separate issues.”
“We will prepare measures to address each institution’s concerns and consult with them so that there will be no disruption to their work even after the relocation,” the official added.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
