외교부

Statement by the delegation of the Republic of Korea
19th Session of the Human Rights Council
Agenda 3: Clustered ID with WGEID and SR on freedom of religion or belief
March 5, 2012

Statement by the delegation of the Republic of Korea(박상기 주제네바대사)

Madam President,

My delegation would like to begin by expressing our appreciation to the Working
Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on
Religion or Belief for their comprehensive presentation. The points raised are both
important and pressing. I would like to make a few brief comments on the activities of
the Working Group.

First we acknowledge and commend the strides taken by the Working Group during
its previous three sessions and, again, appreciate their ongoing efforts and firm
dedication in combating acts of disappearances around the world that have continued
even in the midst of its best efforts. Despite the inherent difficulties my delegation is
pleased to note that the Working Group has clarified 448 cases over the past five 5
years.

We share the view of the Working Group that acts of enforced or involuntary
disappearances may in some cases constitute crimes against humanity. The Republic
of Korea has therefore rendered its full support and has cooperated closely with the
Working Group in its fulfilling the humanitarian mandate of identifying the fate or
whereabouts of those who have fallen victim to enforced disappearance.

Affirming the important role that it plays in addressing these issues, we welcome the
commencement of the activities of the Committee on Enforced Disappearance and
would like to emphasize our hope that the Working Group and the Committee work
closely on a complementary basis. This syncing of work is critical in limiting, as much
as possible, any overlap of efforts in their global fight against enforced disappearances.

In addition, my Government has been examining as to whether our relevant national
laws are compatible with the International Convention for the Protection of All
Persons from Enforced Disappearance with a view to exploring the possibility of
acceding to it.

Madam President,

The Government of the Republic of Korea notes with serious concern that the three
newly registered cases of abduction related to the Korean Airlines flight YS-11 in
1969 have not been clarified thus far. The flight was hijacked and diverted from its
original destination, that is, Seoul, to the DPRK. We consider this question to be a
basic human rights and humanitarian issue in need of a more urgent solution, since the
abductees and their family members are getting older.

In this regard, we would like to urge the Working Group to continue to encourage the
DPRK, to which those cases were transmitted, to carry out the necessary investigation
in an urgent manner so that the family members of the victims can identify the fate
and whereabouts of their fathers and husbands as soon as possible.

Lastly, my delegation is concerned that the Working Group has faced a backlog of
more than 650 cases mainly due to a lack of inadequate human resources. This basic
need to accomodate a growing, heavy workload and to increase the capacity to do so
is a key matter. Considering the humanitarian nature of the Working Group’s mandate,
we put forth our strong hope that this issue can be properly addressed in order for the
Working Group to carry out its mandate as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Thank you. /END/