Petitions over human rights abuses drop 24 pct

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's human rights watchdog said Thursday it has received 24 percent fewer petitions in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, in a possible indication of growing mistrust among citizens. According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a total of 3,749 petitions were lodged in the first six months of this year, or 1,188 cases (24.1 percent) fewer than in the same period last year. It is the first time the rate of decline has been in the double digits. "A decrease of more than 20 percent is unprecedented," said an NHRC official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The number of petitions tends to increase following each meaningful decision by the NHRC, but it's true that there haven't been any significant decisions lately." The biggest drop was in the number of complaints against discrimination, with only 983 cases, or 42.8 percent fewer than in the first half of last year. Reports of general human rights abuses dropped 15.5 percent to 2,702 cases, of which the number of petitions against the police and detention facilities was 532 and 649, respectively, the NHRC said. Each of the figures fell 32 percent and 25.4 percent from the same period last year. Meanwhile, complaints against the government or state organizations increased 42.4 percent to 339 cases, while those against the military rose 32.7 percent to 73 cases. The NHRC said the military may have become a target following recent reports of alleged violence and mistreatment within the armed forces, including the April death of an Army recruit. Investigators have blamed inappropriate medical treatment by the Army. Kim Hyeong-wan, head of the private Korea Human Rights Policy Institute, said the overall decline in petitions reflects a change in attitude toward the national human rights watchdog. "The NHRC is an institution that operates on the basis of the people's trust and expectations," he said. "A 20 percent drop in petitions, which have been growing annually until now, is evidence that the NHRC has not been able to meet that level (of trust or expectation)."