Refer Report

After the National Assembly confirmation hearing on Ahn Chang-ho, the nominee for the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, it has been confirmed that he is unfit for the position, and voices demanding his resignation are growing louder. Criticism is growing that he is undermining the principle of separation of religion and state as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea by attempting to perform public office while justifying hatred and discrimination based on conservative Protestant ideology.

Pastor Lee Dong-hwan, who was excommunicated from the Methodist Church for praying for the blessing of sexual minorities, said bluntly after watching Ahn’s confirmation hearing, “There can be no religious freedom that suppresses someone’s human rights.” In a phone conversation with Hankyoreh on the 4th, the pastor said, “(Ahn) is a very small minority of people with extremely fundamentalist, extreme right-wing, and discriminatory thoughts even within Protestantism.” He added, “It is a serious problem that someone who confuses the boundary between hatred and religious freedom has been appointed to the position of the chairman of the Human Rights Commission, which should be sensitive to the human rights of minorities.” The pastor also criticized, “In religious logic, God is perfect, so how can you say that sexual minorities, whom God created, are flawed beings?” and “The Bible should be interpreted according to the flow of the times, and it is malicious to selectively quote it (like Ahn).”

The pastor emphasized that it is time to discuss the boundaries of the separation of religion and state, taking Ahn’s public office as an opportunity. He said that Ahn’s behavior, which blatantly reveals religious bias in public settings, can harm the constitutional value of “freedom of religion.” The pastor said, “It is problematic in itself to accept that religious beliefs are disguised as “freedom of religion” and that they negatively affect the human rights concept of secular law.”

Han Sang-hee, a professor at Konkuk University Law School, also defined Ahn as “a person who denies the identity of a democratic republic” and “an anti-state force, to use President Yoon Seok-yeol’s favorite expression.” Professor Han previously applied for the position of the chair of the Human Rights Commission but resigned, saying, “I will fight for the very existence of the commission.” Professor Han said that Ahn denies the theory of evolution, views the issue of sexual minorities not from the logic of the Constitution and human rights, but from the opinions of a certain religious sect, and has “the idea of ​​making our country a religious state, a theocratic state, not a secular state.” Professor Han added, “(Ahn) lacks the basic qualifications of a public official who must be loyal to the Constitution and serve the interests of all citizens.”

Former Chairperson Choi Young-ae, who served as the first Secretary-General (2002-2004), Standing Committee Member (2004-2007), and 8th Chairperson (2018-2021) of the Human Rights Commission, said, “I saw (candidate Ahn’s) expression when he spoke (at the hearing), and he was so confident and uninhibited. I was astonished and in despair. Candidate Ahn is not qualified.” She expressed concern, saying, “The philosophy, norms, and values ​​of the chairperson are very important to the Human Rights Commission. It seems that everything our society has tried to overcome will regress, from the anti-discrimination law and thoughts on sexual minorities to citing women’s clothing as a factor in causing sexual crimes.”

The day before, a post was made on the internal bulletin board of the Human Rights Commission, saying, “I question whether the right to criticize minorities is freedom of expression,” “Both evolution and creationism are said to be issues of faith. Where did they get such people?” “If God created humans, we shouldn’t worry about our country’s birth rate, and we should just solve the problem of how to properly supply clay.” He was not only embarrassed but also angry, saying, “I didn’t know that he would speak without reservation even at the personnel hearing,” and seemed worried about the “Ahn Chang-ho Human Rights Commission” system. In particular, regarding the fact that candidate Ahn remained silent on the current human rights violation issue related to President Yoon, employee K said, “I am worried that he will even be concerned about the president or the government.” Person N expressed concern, saying, “There is a high possibility that the work of protecting the human rights of sexual minorities and the Equality Act (comprehensive anti-discrimination law) will be paralyzed, and human rights responses to politically sensitive issues will likely be reduced,” and “It seems that it could degenerate into a pro-government advocacy committee rather than a human rights protection work.” Mr. D said, “There is a mixture of feelings of despair, resignation, worry, and anger among the staff. It seems like the Human Rights Commission will be run like an administrative agency with a weak presence.”

Civil society groups have called for the withdrawal of Ahn’s nomination and his resignation. The Joint Action to Correct the National Human Rights Commission and the Solidarity for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Law, which include 35 human rights and civil society groups, held a press conference in front of the National Assembly that day and evaluated that “the National Assembly’s confirmation hearing was so shocking that it made us question how someone with such views could become a Constitutional Court justice before even evaluating whether he is a suitable person to be the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.” They continued by saying that “Ahn is a person who ignores the rights of minorities in our society, including sexual minorities and workers, and is leading the way in erasing human rights from the Human Rights Commission,” and emphasized that “Ahn’s nomination must be withdrawn immediately.”

Reporter Koh Kyung-tae k21@hani.co.kr Reporter Lee Ji-hye godot@hani.co.kr Reporter Lim Jae-hee limj@hani.co.kr

Source: Korean