(Republic of Korea)
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank La Rue (6.2)
Thank you, Mr. President.
My delegation would like to join all the previous delegations in thanking the three Special Rapporteurs for their presentations and reports. Especially, my delegation welcomes the first report of Special Rapporteur Frank La Rue, which we found informative and insightful. We support for his continued efforts to achieve his vision for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as presented in his report.
In recent years, there has been heated debate on the limitations to the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the international community. Notably, the right to freedom of opinion and expression has its limits, as provided by the ICCPR, but the difficulty lies in where to draw the line. In this regard, the Korean Government emphasized the need for a delicate balance between exercising the freedom of expression and taking responsibility for its consequences in the Durban Review Conference in April. We are pleased that the outcome document of the Conference, adopted in consensus, reflects this view and hopeful that the international community will build upon it.
Legal debate, however, is not enough to resolve the issue over the limits to freedom of expression. Education and dialogue should be the key tool to prevent the potential intercultural and interreligious tensions involving the allegation of abuse of free speech. In this sense, we welcome the Special Rapporteur's proposal to develop an online training programme for media personnel on freedom of expression, human rights and multiculturalism.
My delegation also notes with satisfaction that the Special Rapporteur places priority on the issue of safety and protection of journalists and media professionals in conflict zones. We would like to reiterate the urgent need for the parties to conflicts to abide
by international humanitarian law and human rights law as well as Security Council resolution 1738(2006) to protect journalists in conflict zones.
With the recent global economic crisis, addressing the concern over the right of access to information in situations of extreme poverty has become an urgent task.
We share the Special Rapporteur's view that targeted intervention is needed for marginalized and vulnerable groups, given that there is a risk that these groups, excluded from the media, could be a potential threat to social integration.
We believe that community-based broadcasting as recommended in the Special Rapporteur's report can also be a very significant tool for marginalized persons to exercise their right to freedom of expression and access to information. In this regard, we would appreciate it if the Special Rapporteur could provide us with any examples that he comes across in the course of his activities, of the successful development and operation of community broadcasting, whereby vulnerable groups could find a broader access to information and a stronger voice.
Thank you, Mr. President. /End/
