외교부

Opening Statement by
Ambassador PARK Sang-ki
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea

On the occasion of The Consideration of the 15th and 16th Periodic Reports
of the Republic of Korea
on the International Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination

Geneva, Switzerland
21 August 2012

Mr. Chairperson,
Distinguished Members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,

On behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Korea, I would like to extend our warmest greetings to all distinguished members of the Committee. It is a great honor for me to present to you today the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Reports of the Republic of Korea on the Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination.

My delegation is composed of officials from seven ministries of the Korean government; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor. My delegation very much looks forward to having a positive and constructive dialogue with the Committee over the next two days.
General Overview

Mr. Chairperson,

I will start with a brief overview of the multicultural aspect of the Republic of Korea today. Korea is rapidly moving towards a multicultural and multi-ethnic society. As of January 2012, over 1.4 million people in Korea - that is, 2.8% of the population ? are identified as naturalized Korean citizens, residents of foreign nationality, or children of such people. In the parliamentary elections held in April 2012, Jasmine Lee, a female immigrant from the Philippines, became the first naturalized Korean lawmaker. This is a clear demonstration that these residents are now emerging as one major pillar that constitutes Korean society.

Inter-ethnic unions represent 10.8% of the total number of marriages in the year of 2010, and 4.3% of the babies born this year in Korea were from these inter-ethnic marriages. This survey shows that the ongoing trend towards a demographic diversity will accelerate in the years ahead. In response, the Korean government has attached greater importance to its policies for multiculturalism and social integration.

Updates on Legislations and National Plans for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Mr. Chairperson,

The report presented to you sets out the measures taken by the Government of the Republic of Korea to implement Articles 1 through 7 of the Convention. On top of this, I would now like to provide the Committee with the information on the recent developments in my government’s policies for elimination of racial discrimination.

In March 2012, my government launched its second National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (NAP) for the years 2012-2016. Building upon the government’s self-evaluation of its implementation of the first NAP and upon the consultation with members of civil society, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the second NAP is an overarching human rights master plan that encompasses 209 policy issues in civil, political, economic, social and cultural areas. With regard to the elimination of racial discrimination, some issues have been newly added to the list of policy priorities such as ‘effective protection of irregular resident’s human rights’ and ‘government assistance to foreign victims of prostitution,’ etc.

Moreover, in accordance with the Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea, my government is currently working on a Second Basic Plan for Policies on Foreigners for the years 2013-2017. The government has also monitored and evaluated the implementation of the First Basic Plan for the years 2008-2012 on an annual basis. The concrete achievements of the First Basic Plan includes enhanced public awareness, increased allocation of resources for social integration projects in both public and private sectors, and the enactment of the Refugee Act.

The Republic of Korea introduced the Support for Multicultural Families Act in 2008 in order to help ‘multicultural families’ enjoy stable family lives and to ensure a decent quality of life for them. The new Act stipulates the responsibilities of State and local governments to develop and implement policies that support multicultural families, to provide services such as educational support and healthcare, and to protect victims of domestic violence in multicultural families. In addition, the First Basic Plan for Policies on the Support of Multicultural Families for the years 2010-2012 was launched in 2010 with a view to implementing the aforementioned policies in a more coordinated manner.

Government Policies and Measures for Non-citizens

Now, moving on to the list of the themes which the Committee has offered in advance, my delegation would like to briefly outline several key measures that have been taken by my government. Among the three themes, I will focus on the second theme concerning ‘the situation of non-citizens in Korea.’ My colleagues from the relevant ministries will then address the rest of the themes relating to ‘the legislative framework for the implementation of the Convention,’ ‘awareness-raising’, and ‘human rights education for law enforcement officers.’

Foreign Workers

Foreign workers, nearing 500,000 as of January 2012, take up the largest part of the foreign residents in Korea. Foreign workers working under the Employment Permit System (EPS) are entitled to equal rights with Korean workers, pursuant to labor-related laws, including the Labor Standards Act and the Minimum Wage Act.

The Korean government has taken effective measures to protect foreign workers from mistreatment by their employers. The government conducts regular labor inspections on 4000 to 5000 workplaces every year to address possible violations of labor laws by the employers of foreign workers. In July 2011, a call center was launched to provide counseling services on foreign workers’ grievances in multiple languages. By launching 27 new foreign workers support centers in 2011, the government is currently operating a total of 34 support centers that provide Korean language education, counseling and medical services for foreign workers. Being credited with its fair and transparent management of foreign workforce, the EPS was awarded first-place prize at the United Nations Public Service Awards in 2011.

Foreign Female Spouses

The Committee also expressed interest in the actions taken by the Korean government to address domestic violence against foreign female spouses.

In order to protect foreign female spouses from possible domestic violence, the Korean government has established the Emergency Support Center for Migrant Women, which provides 24-hour counseling service for victims of domestic violence in 11 languages. Under the Act on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims as revised in May 2012, police officers are allowed to enter premises following a report of domestic violence without a search warrant for the protection of the victim. When deemed necessary, they can also take further actions, including escorting the assailant out of the victim’s home or imposing restraining orders. Currently, 20 shelters operate nationwide to help female migrants who suffer from domestic violence. These shelters provide the victims with temporary residence, as well as medical and legal services.

Refugees

With regard to the issue of refugee protection, I would like to highlight a few notable actions that my government has taken in response to the Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee after its consideration the 13th to 14th periodic reports. As stated in the report, the revision of the Immigration Control Act has made it possible to grant temporary work permits to foreigners under humanitarian protection and to asylum-seekers when their status is not determined within one year from the date of application. The Refugee Support Center, which aims to facilitate the integration of refugees into Korean society through comprehensive assistance, will be launched in June 2013.

In addition, the Refugee Act was enacted in February 2012 and will take effect in July 2013. This new Act is a part of the Korean government’s efforts to harmonize its domestic legislation with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and other recognized international norms. The Refugee Act will help enhance fairness, efficiency, and transparency of the procedures of refugee status determination and refugee protection.

Measures to Combat Human Trafficking

I would now like to turn to the issue of human trafficking and briefly outline measures taken by the government of the Republic of Korea in this field. Holding an inter-ministerial meeting on the prevention of human trafficking on a regular basis, relevant ministries of the Korean government have closely cooperated with each other to come up with coherent anti-trafficking measures. In this regard, the Korean government will submit to the National Assembly an amendment bill of the criminal law that contains a comprehensive anti-trafficking clause, in conformity with the international standards. With the passage of the amendment bill, the Korean government will be in a position to ratify the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.

In order to prevent any kind of human trafficking by marriage brokers, the Korean government has tightened its regulations on brokerage agencies, including the mandatory provision of applicants’ personal background information and the ban on arranging a match with minors or a match between one male and a group of females. The Korean government has also set up a facility to provide medical, legal, and educational services to foreign victims of prostitution, while granting work permits to these victims.

Mr. Chairperson,

I will now hand over to my colleague Mr. Bang Kitae, from the Ministry of Justice, who will address the themes of ‘status of the Convention in the domestic legislative framework’ and ‘human rights education on law enforcement officers.’ With the permission of the Committee, from now on my delegation would like to use interpretation service for our presentations and statements in order to have a more effective dialogue and exchange of views with the Committee.

I thank you, Mr. Chairperson.

/End/