The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on the 18th that it recommended that the Minister of the Interior and Safety, chairs of local councils, metropolitan and provincial governors, and leaders of major political parties improve the human rights education system for local councils.
According to the results of the "survey on the state of human rights education in local councils" conducted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) last year, human rights education programs were almost nonexistent in the curricula of local council training institutes. Of the 32 local councils that responded to the survey, only four conducted human rights education in the past two years (2024–2025).
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommended that the Minister of the Interior and Safety clearly specify in the relevant laws and regulations the obligation for local council members and affiliated public officials to complete human rights education, and that the Local Government Officials Development Institute include human rights education courses for local council members and affiliated public officials when establishing education and training plans.
It also recommended that the chairs of local councils prepare measures to transparently disclose to residents the records and outcomes of human rights education completed by members and affiliated public officials.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also recommended that the leaders of each political party specify provisions on the obligation to complete human rights education in party charters, party regulations, and codes of ethics, and reflect records of completing human rights education in the nomination process for local council candidates and in evaluations of the legislative activities of affiliated local council members.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) explained that various programs for local council members and affiliated staff are being operated in the United States, the European Union (EU), and Japan. It added, "We hope local councils will further strengthen their role as policy decision-making bodies for protecting the fundamental rights of local residents and promoting human rights, as well as bodies that diligently oversee human rights administration."