Human Rights in Korea at the Crossroads: A Critical Overview

Abstract

Human rights in South Korea have come a long way from repression in the past to the hope for renewal after the 1990s. As such, the progress of human rights in this country raises interesting questions: to what extent has Korea improved its human rights under more democratic rule, and what characterizes Korea's present state of human rights? This essay addresses these questions by examining the past and present conditions of human rights in South Korea. By comparing the two decades following 1980 to the situation after the late 1990s, when civilian democratic rule took hold, we can identify the progress and limitations of human rights. Rather than documenting detailed records of abuses, I will attempt to conceptualize distinctive features of the present state of human rights. From this examination, I conclude that human rights in Korea are at a crossroad and that any premature expectation of fuller human rights is unwarranted.