hankyoreh

A red flower hangs on the wall of the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall in Seoul on June 10, the 33rd anniversary of the June Democracy Movement. The flower marks a room where democracy activists were tortured, sometimes to death. (Blue House photo pool)

On June 10, the 33rd anniversary of the June Democracy Movement, South Korea’s national police published a human rights code of conduct for members of the force. Korea’s National Police Agency (NPA) said that it will reinvent itself as a police force that protects human rights and defends the vulnerable.

Min Gap-ryong, commissioner general of the Korea National Police Agency (NPA), bows in apology to Bae Eun-sim, mother of Lee Han-yeol, a student activist who was killed by police brutality 33 years ago. (Blue House photo pool)

The first point on the 10-point code of conduct declares that the state belongs to the citizens. Police officers are also required to refuse orders that would violate human rights (the fifth point) and to refrain from discrimination and protect minorities and disadvantaged members of society (the sixth point).

The police began working on the human rights code of conduct on the recommendation of a police reform commission in 2017. The code will serve as the behavioral standard that police officers must abide by during conflicts related to human rights that they may encounter while going about their duties.

“The shouting of the citizens who filled this square 30 years ago today brought democracy into being. The police force pledges to becoming advocates of democracy, human rights, and public livelihood while bearing in mind the lessons of history,” said NPA Commissioner-General Min Gap-ryong during the ceremony on Wednesday when the human rights code of conduct was made public. The ceremony was held at the NPA headquarters in the Migeun neighborhood of Seoul’s Seodaemun District.

“We sympathize with the people who have risen up in opposition to racial discrimination in the US, but human rights are generally understood to be universal values that apply to all of humanity. Safety isn’t sustainable unless it’s backed by human rights. We will work to ensure that this code is not a mere declaration but has an impact on the behavior of our officers,” Min pledged.

By Lee Jae-ho, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]