South Korea disputes North Korean human rights fund — Korea Herald
In South Korea, lawmakers clashed during a parliamentary audit of the National Human Rights Commission over delays in establishing the North Korean Human Rights Foundation. The law providing for the operation of this body took effect in 2016, but the foundation has yet to begin work due to political disagreements over appointing members of its board, Korea Herald reports.
Dispute over the foundation's board
Lawmakers from the People Power Party accused the Democratic Party of Korea of failing to nominate candidates for the foundation's board. According to lawmaker Kim Mi-ae, the North Korean Human Rights Act has been in force for its tenth year, but the foundation has still not been established.
She also noted that the National Human Rights Commission officially recommended that the Democratic Party's parliamentary floor leader nominate five directors. Lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun stressed that the law was passed with support from both political forces, but the Democratic Party has never recommended any board members.
National Human Rights Commission Chair Ahn Chang-ho called on the government and the National Assembly to cooperate more actively to launch the foundation. Under the law, the body is to support research, policy development and the activities of civic organizations aimed at improving the human rights situation in North Korea.
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Discussion of martial law and insurrection
The hearing also discussed the commission's actions in the case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol after his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Democratic Party lawmakers questioned Ahn about the commission's recommendation, adopted in February 2025, to ensure Yoon's right to defense during impeachment proceedings.
Earlier this month, the commission voted to publicly apologize for that recommendation. Ahn abstained from the vote and stated that due process must be observed regardless of the possible punishment for a person.
Ahn acknowledged that the imposition of martial law was wrong and unconstitutional, but declined to make a final assessment of whether Yoon's actions constituted an insurrection. He said he would wait for a Supreme Court ruling.
Separately, lawmakers argued over remarks by People Power Party representative Kim Tae-gyu, who denied in a September YouTube interview that former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Yoon Suk Yeol had committed insurrection. On October 2, the committee adopted a resolution calling for Kim's expulsion from the National Assembly, but it is not binding.
