Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Presiding over a meeting on human rights, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo stressed the need to have a sense of awareness of respect for human rights, and to observe the duty to safeguard victims of human rights violations

On July 10, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) held a meeting on the issue of human rights at its headquarters to discuss the progress of its policy to safeguard the human rights of soldiers.

Presided over by Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, the meeting was attended by officials from the MND and the military, including the MND’s Director General for Legal Affairs Management Park Kyeong-soo, chief of the High Military Court Park Jong-hyeong, director of the Defense Prosecutor’s Office Lee Soo-dong, the chiefs of the respective Office of Military Justice of the forces, Doctor Kim Gwang-sik from Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), and other officials from related departments, including chief of the Armed Forces Human Rights Investigation Division of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea Song Oh-young, and chief of the National Defense, Patriots & Veterans Complaints Division of the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission Jang Kyeong-soo.

In advance of the meeting, Minister Jeong awarded an official commendation to certain individuals who had contributed to dealing with human rights policies, human rights education, and the military’s history. During the meeting, the participants discussed ways to facilitate the early establishment and operation of a human rights center in each military service, and to improve the command responsibility for human rights violation incidents, while sharing the main outcomes of and the progress of the 2019-2023 comprehensive plan for national defense human rights policies.

Significantly, this meeting drew attention because Minister Jeong attended it personally, unlike past meetings that had been presided over by the vice minister, reflecting his willingness to improve human rights in the military.

Stressing the need to “balance the protection of our soldiers’ human rights with the establishment of military discipline by exercising the right of command according to applicable laws and regulations,” Jeong urged the participants to “strive to create a culture where victims of human rights violations can report without fear, while instilling a sense of respect for human rights in soldiers, whether they are on or off duty.”

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >
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