Human Rights Award of Korea


The Human Rights Award of Korea is the highest human rights award of the Republic of Korea, bestowed annually by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. It was established in 2005 for human rights organizations, and started to award individuals from 2007 to recognise the contribution to Korean and international human rights.
The award are presented at annual Human Rights Day Ceremony on 10 December in every year.

Categories

There are three categories of the award

2005

  1. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul
  2. Anti Sexual Discrimination Movement against YMCA Korea

    2006

In 2006, a total of seventeen organisations and individuals received the Human Rights Award of Korea, including:
  1. Kwak Byeong-eun, age 53, in recognition of his work with prisoners at the Wonju Correctional Institute since 991
  2. St. Andrew's Mental Hospital of Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province
  3. Seoul Sinmun "Minority Report", which writes about human rights issues facing women and minorities
  4. The production team for the Educational Broadcasting System programme Tolerance
  5. Countermovement Committee against Sexual Violence in Gwangju Inhwa School

    2007

  6. Human Rights Team of the Ministry of National Defense of Korea

    2008

Nominee Lee Jeong-yi of the Busan Human Rights Center, well known for her work with prisoners of conscience, was disqualified from consideration after objections by the Ministry of Security and Public Administration. Conservative groups had accused Lee of being "a pro-North Korea, anti-U.S. activist". An anonymous National Human Rights Commission employee quoted by the Hankyoreh objected to the decision and described it as politically motivated.
  1. Korean Broadcasting System
  2. Judge Advocate General's Corps, Republic of Korea Army

    2009

In October 2009, forty-five human rights organisations which had been nominated for the Human Rights Award of Korea issued a statement that they would not participate in the selection process for that year due to concerns over the independence and political bias of newly appointed Human Rights Commission head Hyun Byung-chul. The following month saw broader strife in the HRC; sixty-one HRC advisors also threatened to resign in protest, calling Hyun "nothing more than a 'yes man'" for the Lee Myung-bak administration.
  1. Yanghee Lee
  2. Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights
  3. Ansan City

    2010

The year 2010 saw further boycotts of the Human Rights Award, including several by student writers who had participated in the essay competition. The Human Rights Commission announced on December 10 that the Incheon League for the Abolition of Discrimination against People with Disabilities, an organisation which had been selected for the award, would not accept it. A spokesperson for the National League for the Abolition of Discrimination Against People with Disabilities stated that there continued to be concerns over the independence and operation of the Human Rights Committee.
  1. Tae Wonwoo
  2. Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice

    2011

  3. Ha Tae-keung
  4. Korea Association of Social Workers
  5. Yeungnam University

    2012

  6. Joung Won Oh
  7. Dream Start Center of Ministry of Health and Welfare
  8. Human Asia

    2013

  9. Peter Park
  10. Korea Women's Hotline
  11. Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees

    2014

  12. John Linton
  13. Center for Military Human Rights, Korea
  14. Dongcheon Foundation

    2015

  15. Hyejung Oh
  16. The Know Your Rights, Victoria, Australia

    2016

  17. Eunjoo Lee
  18. Multicultural Family Service Center