Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Defense minister launches ｢Military Human Rights Improvement Promotion Bureau｣ 

 - The establishment of a dedicated military human rights organization will lay the groundwork for the protection of soldiers' human rights -

The Ministry of National Defense plans to establish a bureau under the direct control of the deputy minister, ｢Military Human Rights Improvement Promotion Bureau｣ (promotion bureau, hereinafter), by incorporating and reinforcing various human-rights-related work that had previously been scattered across multiple departments, and launch it on Tuesday, February 22.

The promotion bureau has a total staff of 37, and is divided into four offices, which are an △ office of general military human rights, an △ office of sexual assault prevention and response, an △ office of barracks culture innovation, and a △ gender equality policy team.

The promotion bureau will prevent and proactively address any violation of soldiers' human rights by working in cooperation with the ‘military human rights protection officer,’ a position newly established in the national human rights committee by the revision of the applicable law, and play a pivotal role in building a barracks culture that balances freedom and responsibility.