Women were subjected to violence and abuse online and by public officials. LGBTI people faced discrimination in media reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, in the military and in education. Logistics companies did not provide adequate protection for delivery workers who faced elevated health risks...

Responding to a South Korean High Court decision ordering the country’s national health insurance service to resume coverage for a partner in a same-sex relationship, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “This is an important decision that moves South Korea closer to...

Ahead of North Korea’s apparent preparations for a military parade in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “As the capital Pyongyang prepares for an ostentatious military parade, more than 40%...

Women and girls face re-traumatization trying to remove explicit content from internet Google’s inadequate reporting system fails to deliver swift and transparent responses Survivors of online sexual abuse in South Korea have told Amnesty International their suffering has been compounded by...

Today’s South Korean Supreme Court decision that having children of minor age should not immediately be the reason to refuse to recognize the legal gender of transgender persons is an important step forward for human rights, Amnesty International said. “This decision by the Supreme Court opens the...

The first conscientious objector to refuse South Korea’s alternative to military service must not face further punishment for taking a stand against the country’s punitive new system, Amnesty International said ahead of his criminal trial on Tuesday. Hye-min Kim, whose religious beliefs preclude...

By Boram Jang, East Asia Researcher at Amnesty International. Many women in South Korea will be feeling anxious today as the country inaugurates a new president Yoon Suk-yeol, a self-styled crusader for justice. During the election campaign, Yoon made several anti-feminist remarks and pledged to...

Responding to the Supreme Court of Korea reversing the convictions of two soldiers jailed in 2017 for engaging in consensual same-sex sexual acts while off duty, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:  “This groundbreaking decision is an important triumph in the fight against...

Responding to the introduction of yet another bill that seeks to forbid discrimination across South Korean society, including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, Suki Chung, East Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International, said: “The introduction of this anti-discrimination bill,...

Responding to today’s South Korean court ruling that dismissed claims against the Japanese government to pay damages to women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military before and during World War II, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: “Today’s...

Ahead of South Korea’s memorial day on 14 August for “comfort women”, a euphemistic term for women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military before and during World War II, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: “The atrocious crimes committed by...

Responding to the introduction of a bill to outlaw discrimination in South Korea, including against LGBTI people, Arnold Fang, East Asia Researcher of Amnesty International said: “A law to effectively protect everybody from discrimination, including LGBTI people, could make South Korea a pioneer in...

Conscientious objectors in South Korea will continue to be punished and stigmatized for refusing military service under a new alternative service law that was adopted today by the country’s parliament, said Amnesty International. Under the new law, those refusing military service on religious or...