Overview of Human Rights in South Korea

The Republic of Korea (Korea) is a constitutional democracy. International observers judged recent elections to be free and fair. The government generally works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens; however there are still a few areas where problems remain. The highly controversial National Security Law allows the government to hold prisoners of conscience and to infringe upon citizen’s civil liberties in the name of monitoring ‘anti-state’ activities. While President Roh called for the law to be abolished, this has not occurred.

In 2004, the Employment Permit System Act came into effect. This law gives the Ministry of Labor a legitimate means of controlling and monitoring migrant workers. At present, there are some 180,000 undocumented migrant workers in South Korea. Under this law, illegal migrants who have been in the country longer than four years are subject to immediate detention pending deportation.

Societal discrimination against minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities is a continuing problem. Trafficking in persons, especially children for domestic servitude or the sex trade, grows in scope each year. South Korea is considered a major transit point for alien smugglers in this region.

The country is taking steps to address the reported deficiencies. In 2001, the government, under the National Human Rights Commission Act, created the National Human Rights Commission to investigate allegations of human rights abuses. Though this body has no enforcement powers, it can make recommendations for change, which are often heard by the legislature.   

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

26th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.