[Editorial] Don't Be Ideological About Human Rights

Human rights are universal values common to humanity. During national economic development and dictatorship human rights violations were ignored, and even now there are aspects of the law and the system that infringe on civil rights. That is something absolutely must be resolved if were are to be a mature community and truly advanced nation.

That is why the criticism coming from some quarters regarding the National Human Rights Commission's series of policy recommendations is of such concern. The commission does not make legal judgments. Its main work is that of finding and seeking to correct the "legal" rights abuses and discriminatory factors that remain in our laws, system, and various regulations. It is because of a serious lack of understanding of that basic fact that some are saying its recommendations run counter to the judgment of the Constitutional Court and other courts.

Saying that the recommendations are "unrealistic" and "go beyond the commission's powers" is the same kind of authoritarian-era violent thinking that regards civil rights as something that is too much trouble. The priority should be to take a look at whether society has given ear to the voices of those in our society who refuse to take up arms because of their convictions or who suffer because of their sexual identity. It is as shallow as can be to call that something ideological. The recommendations are based on the universal standards of the United Nations and other international organizations. You want to ask if their motive is to paint the issue with ideological coloring and incite social discord.

The commission's recommendations contain precious values that our society should aim for. The reason the commission is involved in so much is evidence of how basic rights and the rights of the disadvantaged are threatened in our society. When it comes to issues that are sensitive or about which there has yet to be social consensus, the place to begin would be for the whole of society pool its wisdom together and engage in serious discussion. One hopes the government will actively accommodate the recommendations and make them the basis for civil rights policy. There also needs to be the legal tools to carry them out.

The Hankyoreh, 12 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]