Photo: An Chang-ho, the new National Human Rights Commissioner. Credit: National Human Rights Commission.
Although South Korea formally democratized in 1987 at the end of the Chun Doo-hwan 전두환 dictatorship, the country’s transition to democracy was a gradual process that took place over a decade. A key milestone in the process came in 2001, with the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission 국가인권위원회 under the Kim Dae-jung 김대중 administration.
Although its recommendations were non-binding, the NHRC often played a path-breaking role in exposing human rights abuses in the military and police, as well as in the contexts of employment and education. In recent years, the NHRC has been one of the few South Korean governmental organs advancing LGBTQ+ rights, including by enacting a comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Act 차별금지법.
But under the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol 윤석열 administration, even the NHRC is no longer a friend to the marginalized. On September 6, Yoon appointed An Chang-ho 안창호 as the new NHRC commissioner. An, a former Constitutional Court justice who served as a prosecutor under the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship, is infamous for his hardline Evangelical Christian stances.
An made no attempt to soften his stances during his confirmation hearing before the National Assembly 국회, insisting that “the theory of evolution has no scientific basis” - though he did claim that his views would not affect NHRC’s decision-making. An also stood by his statements from a book he wrote claiming that the Anti-Discrimination Act would lead to a communist revolution, because “homosexuality is a core mechanism for communist revolution.”
NHRC staffers are doing their best to look on the bright side. In an internal online bulletin board for the NHRC, one staffer wrote: “Looks like we solved the birth rate issue. We just need to ensure a steady supply of clay.”
