3 years ago
A human rights advocacy group composed of the two largest Christian organizations and the two largest Buddhist orders in South Korea on Wednesday issued a call for government legislation to protect the country’s minorities from hatred and discrimination.
Speaking from Seoul, the religious leaders urged citizens and politicians to acknowledge persistent racial discrimination in South Korea, in particular against migrant workers and other minorities.
“Although the country ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of the UN in 1979, it fell short of banning such acts under the law and has received remedial recommendations,” read the statement released by the group.
“The country should drop itscavalier approach that racial discrimination is the problem of other nations, and should enact a law that corresponds with the human rights standard of the UN.”
The statement referred to the protests in the United States—which have spilled into over 20 other countries—against the killings of African Americans by law enforcement officers, including the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.
The group, composed of leaders from the country’s major religions including Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Won Buddhism, and Seon Buddhism, was formed in 2014 in order to address the rights of social minorities.
