Dr Park Kyung-seo: Human Roles in Human Rights

“If the issue of human rights is hanging around in heaven, if it doesn’t come down to real life, to the people – then it is meaningless.”

That is the guiding principle of former Human Rights Ambassador, Dr. Park Kyung-Seo, in his own words. On May 16, Park sat down with Gwangju News in his capacity as co-chair of the World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) to expound on the interdependent nature of human rights, as well as discuss the status and challenges of human rights on the Korean peninsula.

Throughout his professional life, Park has been closely tied to the issue of human rights in South Korea. His anti-government stance resulted in dismissal from his teaching position at Seoul National University in the late 1970s, after which he worked for the World Council of Churches in Geneva for almost 18 years. Park’s direct involvement with the UN, where he eventually became the first South Korean Ambassador at Large for Human Rights, began with democracy in South Korea. In addition, Park served for over three years as the Senior Standing Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Park continues to be involved in human rights advocacy, including the organisation and promotion of the WHRCF. Bringing human rights to the people is the ultimate goal of the WHRCF; during a 2008 restructuring, the UN Human Rights Council “made it clear that human rights and local government must go together. So now here we are.”

Here we are indeed. Gwangju has taken this recommendation to heart, passing major pieces of human rights legislation and initiating the WHRCF. There is a UN process underway –just short of completion – to have Gwangju recognized as the ideal model of a human rights city. Park, however, was quick to point out that it was only “by inviting all these delegations, plus respected seniors in Gwangju” that this was achieved, not by the Gwangju government alone.

Gwangju and Korea’s efforts are commendable, but it is impossible to ignore the remaining human rights issues pushed to the forefront of public consciousness by the MV Sewol’s sinking. When asked if the ferry disaster is a human rights issue, Park was adamant that the “loss of life is exactly a human rights issue, and the corruption is [against] human rights, telling a lie is against human rights. All are human rights.”

“The ferry tragedy is very unfortunate,” he added, “but at the same time it is a kind of historical turning point for the Korean people.”

Surprisingly, the solution he proposed was not top-down. Instead, Park feels that “the government proposals are not that important, because people, they should learn – do not tell a lie, be innocent. So education is very much important.”

If the Sewol is a human rights matter, it is not Korea’s first over the last year. May-June of 2013 saw a visit from Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the Status of Human Rights Defenders. Sekaggya’s report highlights violations around freedom of speech and association. Park said: “What she has said is very true… for instance, the freedom of the press. Violations of the freedom of the press have increased since [the time of] Kim Dae-jung, but there is another aspect. If the people are not well educated [about human rights] and disciplined it could produce dysfunction. That is my worry. But I disagree with the government pressuring the press. [Freedom of speech] should be 100% guaranteed.”

Restrictions on freedom of assembly and government interference in labour disputes are also mentioned in Sekaggya’s report. Acknowledging the accuracy of this criticism, Park noted that the use of military draftees as police engaging with demonstrators, has been a perennial issue. But, he pointed out: “It goes together. Government should guarantee 100% freedom. At the same time people should keep their discipline 100%.”

Despite domestic issues, Park maintained that human rights violations in North Korea (DPRK) remain the greatest rights challenge facing South Korea. Recent governments have taken a confrontational approach, with food aid to the North reaching a sixteen-year low in 2012, but Park is firmly against these hard-line policies. “We need to embrace them… Embrace them and teach them about human rights. We are engaged in a terrible arms race right now. This is not the answer. We need to reduce the budget for defense and put the savings into development aid for the North Korean people.”

DPRK violations received international attention earlier this year with the release of the UN report detailing abuses by the regime. Calls for international action have increased as a result. North Korea’s response has been outraged denial and refusal to allow monitors into the country. Experts agree that referral to the International Criminal Court, as recommended in the report, is an unlikely solution given China’s presence on the security council, and options are therefore limited. While many are pushing for a harsh response through economic sanctions, Park disagrees. “Human rights is not a tool or a political instrument with which people are pushed to the corner and attacked. Human rights is a kind of thing which can be promoted and facilitated by a very peaceful manner.”

Park’s perspective on human rights is that every individual carries a responsibility to uphold human rights. They should not be politicized and they are not meant to be used in power struggles; education and sharing ideas will serve as the cornerstone for creating a better world. That is why events like the WHRCF are so important. In Park’s own words: “This [Forum] is human rights advocates getting together in order to make the world slightly better. In the long term it will be more and more.”