PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA GENEVA
The 19th Session of the Human Rights Council <Check against delivery>
Panel discussion on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity
Geneva, 7 March, 2012
Statement of the Republic of Korea Thank you Madame President.
The Republic of Korea was pleased to join other States from all regions of the world in supporting the resolution 17/19, which decided to convene today’s panel discussion and also requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to commission a study on discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. We would like to take this opportunity to commend the High Commissioner for presenting a comprehensive and thorough study according to the resolution and thank the panelists for their valuable contributions.
My delegation would like to reiterate the position of the Government of the Republic of Korea that we must prohibit and prevent any violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We are pleased to note that there has been no reported case of killing or act of discriminatory violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity recorded in the Republic of Korea. As for discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the National Human Rights Commission Act of the Republic of Korea, in Article 2, explicitly includes discriminatory acts based on
‘sexual orientation’ among those defined as “acts violating the right to equality” that are subject to petition, investigation and remedy by the Commission.
In addition, the Republic of Korea has been making efforts since 2007 to enact an omnibus anti-discrimination law that lays down a general prohibition on a comprehensive list of discriminatory acts including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and, along these lines, hopes to produce an outcome in the near future. Furthermore, in 2007, our government launched the National Action Plans for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights that includes, as one of the objectives, to conduct a comprehensive review so as to remove or rectify any homophobic references or contents in education curriculum and materials that may lead to hatred, prejudice or bias based on sexual orientation.
Madame President,
Bearing in mind the recommendations put forward in the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the sensitivity of the issues for many cultures and societies, including our own, we would like to ask the panelist what would be the most appropriate steps to be taken by this Council as follow-up to the discussions at this panel.
Thank you. /End/
