S. Korea elected as member of UN Human Rights Council

South Korea has been elected to a fifth term on the United Nations Human Rights Council, an international organization that was established in 2006 to promote and protect human rights around the world.

South Korea, which first served as a member of the council in 2006, has been elected to serve a three-year term (2020-2022) in a vote by the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Thursday (local time), according to South Korea’s mission to the U.N. From the Asia-Pacific group, Japan, Indonesia, and the Marshall Islands have also earned a seat at the table.

The U.N. Human Rights Council was launched based on a resolution adopted by the U.N. General Assembly to address human rights along with the issues of security and development, two of the other key challenges faced by the international community. The council replaced the U.N. Commission on Human Rights under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and is comprised of 47 U.N. member states from regional groups including Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Latin America. The council is responsible for making recommendations to countries to improve human rights such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of North Korea. As a member of the council, South Korea will actively participate in discussions to address key human rights issues and join the international efforts to respond to human rights crises around the world.

“South Korea’s election as a member of the Human Rights Council shows that the international community has recognized the nation’s efforts and will in order to protect and promote human rights at home and abroad,” South Korea's U.N. Ambassador Cho Tae-yul said. “It is an achievement we’ve made based on diplomatic trust built at the U.N.”


Yong Park parky@donga.com