Media advisories Special Procedures

UN expert on transitional justice to visit the Republic of Korea

07 June 2022

GENEVA (7 June 2022) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabian Salvioli, will carry out an official visit to the Republic of Korea from 8 to 15 June 2022.

The UN expert will examine the progress made in redressing the legacy of the serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed during the periods of colonial rule, war and authoritarianism in the country.

During the 20th century, South Korea experienced colonialism, armed conflict, occupation and nearly 40 years of authoritarian rule until a democratic transition in the late 1980s.  During those years, serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law were committed including killings, torture, conflict related sexual violence, forced labour and arbitrary detention.  

“My visit aims to learn about and evaluate the measures taken by the authorities in the Republic of Korea in the areas of truth, justice, reparation, memory and guarantees of non-recurrence - the pillars of my mandate - to address the serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed during those periods,” Salvioli said.

“During the visit, I will seek to have a broad view of the various initiatives taken, identify good practices, gaps and problems, and formulate recommendations in that regard.”

The expert will meet government officials, representatives of the legislature, members of the judiciary, security forces, the national human rights institution, civil society, victims’ groups, academics and representatives of the international community.

He is scheduled to visit Seoul, Gwangju, Daejeon, Seongam-dong and Ansan.

The final report on the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

The expert will present his preliminary findings and recommendations at a press conference to be held on Wednesday 15 June, at 11h00 local time, at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club (SFCC), 18Fl, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul). Access to the press conference will be limited exclusively to journalists.

Journalists wishing to participate are kindly requested to inform the secretariat at: hrc-sr-truth@un.org

ENDS

Mr. Fabian Salvioli (Argentina) was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 as the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. He is a human rights lawyer and professor. Fabián Salvioli is professor of International Law and Human Rights at the School of Law of the University of La Plata. He has lectured in many countries and universities across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. Mr. Salvioli has authored several books and articles on international human rights law. He was member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee between 2009 and 2016, and its President between 2015 and 2016. Mr. Salvioli served twice as member and three times as president of Ad-Hoc Arbitration Courts on Monetary Reparations, within the Friendly Settlement Mechanism of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He received several honorary titles in recognition of his work in the fields of human rights and education.

As Special Rapporteur, Mr. Salvioli is part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, Country Page: Republic of Korea

For further information and media enquiries, please contact:

During the mission:
s. Melanie Santizo (+41 079-444 4702 / melanie.santizosandoval@un.org) 

After the mission:
Ms. Brenda Vukovic (+41 22 917 9635 / brenda.vukovic@un.org)

For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Renato Rosario De Souza (renato.rosariodesouza@un.org

Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.

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