| Rainbow flags are pinned to the ground in front of Seoul City Hall during a press conference held by LGBTQ activists in this March 8, 2021, photo, calling for the eradication of discrimination against sexual minorities. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Discrimination and prejudice are prevalent in Korean society, despite it being a country with an advanced democracy guaranteeing basic political freedoms and civil liberties, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Thursday.
The international non-governmental organization issued?its "World Report 2022," a summary of human rights conditions in over 100 countries and territories for 2021.
The annual report pointed out that although Korea has established a democracy that largely respects civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, some significant human rights concerns remain unresolved.
"Discrimination against women is pervasive, as well as discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, racial and ethnic minorities, and foreign migrants and refugees," the report read.
The human rights group highlighted the seriousness of gender inequality issues in the country, saying that the gender pay gap, at 31 percent, is the widest among the OECD countries.
The report notes that #MeToo movement, which gained wide support in Korea in recent years, has also been facing a backlash from "men's rights" groups that view the feminist movement as "reverse discrimination."
In addition, the Korean government continues to struggle to address gender-based crimes online, including the widespread distribution of sexual images of women and underage girls without their consent.
Regarding LGBTQ rights issues, HRW said, "The LGBT rights movement in Korea is growing, but sexual minorities continue to face hostility and severe discrimination, especially in the armed forces."
The country's first openly transgender soldier, Byun Hee-soo, was forcibly discharged after undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2019. The court ordered her reinstatement, but Byun died by suicide in March 2021 before the court ruling.
HRW also pointed out that the Korean government retains "draconian" criminal defamation laws and sweeping intelligence and national security laws that chill speech critical of the government and corporations.
| Representatives of seven media-related organizations hold a press conference in front of the main building of the National Assembly, Aug. 31, 2021, to protest the ruling party and the government's push to revise a law allowing punitive damages on media outlets accused of publishing "fake news." Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
Last September, the government's move to amend a law to heavily penalize "fake news" prompted concerns from domestic and international journalists' unions and human rights groups about violating the freedom of the press.
In the face of serious criticism, the government backed down and delayed the amendment for further review.
"The proposed amendments to the Press Arbitration Law would have imposed disproportionate sanctions for vaguely defined 'false and manipulated' reporting," HRW said.
The human rights group also criticized the Moon Jae-in administration's lack of efforts to address human rights issues in North Korea.
Since 2019, South Korea has been declining to co-sponsor a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNCHR) resolution condemning the widespread violations of human rights in North Korea.
Regarding North Korea's human rights conditions in 2021, HRW said the authoritarian regime has responded to international challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic with deepened isolation and repression.
"It has taken no meaningful steps to advance economic, social and cultural rights. And the (North Korean) government continued to prioritize weapons development, conducting missile tests in March, September and October," the report read.