Human Rights Award of Korea

The Human Rights Award of Korea (Korean: 대한민국인권상) is the highest human rights award of the Republic of Korea, bestowed annually by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. It was established in 2005 for human rights organizations, and started to award individuals from 2007 to recognise the contribution to Korean and international human rights.

The award are presented at annual Human Rights Day Ceremony on 10 December in every year.

Categories

There are three categories of the award

  • Human Rights Advocate and Extension
  • Human Rights Education and Cultural Promotion
  • Human Rights Policy and Research

Recipients

2005
  1. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul
  2. Anti Sexual Discrimination Movement against YMCA Korea

2006

In 2006, a total of seventeen organisations and individuals received the Human Rights Award of Korea, including:[1]

  1. Kwak Byeong-eun (곽병은), age 53, in recognition of his work with prisoners at the Wonju Correctional Institute since 991[1]
  2. St. Andrew's Mental Hospital of Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province[2]
  3. Seoul Sinmun "Minority Report", which writes about human rights issues facing women and minorities[3]
  4. The production team for the Educational Broadcasting System programme Tolerance[3]
  5. Countermovement Committee against Sexual Violence in Gwangju Inhwa School

2007
  1. Human Rights Team of the Ministry of National Defense of Korea

2008

Nominee Lee Jeong-yi of the Busan Human Rights Center, well known for her work with prisoners of conscience, was disqualified from consideration after objections by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration. Conservative groups had accused Lee of being "a pro-North Korea, anti-U.S. activist". An anonymous National Human Rights Commission employee quoted by the Hankyoreh objected to the decision and described it as politically motivated.[4]

  1. Korean Broadcasting System
  2. Judge Advocate General's Corps, Republic of Korea Army

2009

In October 2009, forty-five human rights organisations which had been nominated for the Human Rights Award of Korea issued a statement that they would not participate in the selection process for that year due to concerns over the independence and political bias of newly appointed Human Rights Commission head Hyun Byung-chul.[5] The following month saw broader strife in the HRC; sixty-one HRC advisors also threatened to resign in protest, calling Hyun "nothing more than a 'yes man'" for the Lee Myung-bak administration.[6]

  1. Yanghee Lee (former chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child)
  2. Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights[7][8]
  3. Ansan City

2010

The year 2010 saw further boycotts of the Human Rights Award, including several by student writers who had participated in the essay competition.[9] The Human Rights Commission announced on December 10 that the Incheon League for the Abolition of Discrimination against People with Disabilities (인천장애인차별철폐연대), an organisation which had been selected for the award, would not accept it. A spokesperson for the National League for the Abolition of Discrimination Against People with Disabilities stated that there continued to be concerns over the independence and operation of the Human Rights Committee.[10][11]

  1. Tae Wonwoo (Partner of Gyeomin and Member of Human Rights Committee of Korean Bar Association)
  2. Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice

2011
  1. Ha Tae-keung (Member of National Assembly and President of Open Radio for North Korea)[12]
  2. Korea Association of Social Workers
  3. Yeungnam University

2012
  1. Joung Won Oh (Professor and the President of Social Enterprise Research Institute of Sungkonghoe University)
  2. Dream Start Center of Ministry of Health and Welfare
  3. Human Asia

2013
  1. Peter Park (Former Youth Ombudsman of Korea and Election Commissioner in Melbourne, Overseas Election Commission of Korea)[13]
  2. Korea Women's Hotline
  3. Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees

2014
  1. John Linton (Professor and the President of International Medical Center, Yonsei University)
  2. Center for Military Human Rights, Korea
  3. Dongcheon Foundation

2015
  1. Hyejung Oh (Sister, Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help)
  2. The Know Your Rights, Victoria, Australia

2016
  1. Eunjoo Lee (Secretary-General, School Equivalent Examinations Support Association)
  2. Multicultural Family Service Center

References
  1. "곽병은 원주 부부의원장 대한민국 인권상 수상" [Kwak Byeong-eun, director of Wonju Fertility Clinic, receives Korea Human Rights Award]. Gangwon Ilbo. 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  2. "성안드레아 정신병원 대한민국 인권상 받아" [St. Andrew's Mental Hospital receives Korea Human Rights Award]. Kyunghyang Sinmun. 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  3. "서울신문·EBS '대한민국인권상' 수상" [Seoul Sinmun, EBS receive Korea Human Rights Award]. Media Today. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  4. "Sole nominee for Human Rights Award rejected by Public Administration and Security Ministry". Hankyoreh. 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  5. "인권단체, '대한민국 인권상' 거부" [Human rights groups refuse Korea Human Rights Award]. YTN. 2009-10-20. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  6. "61 advisors join revolt against human rights agency chief". Korea Times. 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  7. Kim So Yeol (December 10, 2009). "NKnet Collects ROK Human Rights Award". Daily NK. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  8. 한국인권상 수상 유세희 이사장. Radio Free Asia (in Korean). November 23, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. "More boycott human rights awards". Korea Times. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  10. "장애인단체도 '대한민국 인권상' 수상 거부" [Organisation for persons with disabilities refuses Korea Human Rights Award]. Yonhap News. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  11. "Protest at human rights ceremony". Hankyoreh English Edition. 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  12. Kim Young-jin (2011-11-30). "NK rights activist says change desperately needed in both Koreas". Korea Times. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  13. "세계인권선언 65주년 기념 행사 개최 – 훈장 등‘2013 대한민국 인권상 시상’ Archived 2014-05-12 at Archive.today "National Human Rights Commission of Korea"
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