South Korea

The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is a democracy that largely respects the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of its citizens. However, several human rights concerns remain, including pervasive and systemic discrimination against at-risk groups, including women and girls; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; racial minorities; migrants; older people; and people with disabilities. South Korea remains one of the few Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries without an anti-discrimination law. Although South Korea has a relatively free press and lively civil society, the authorities continue to use draconian criminal defamation laws and sweeping intelligence and national security laws to restrict speech, creating a chilling effect that limits critical scrutiny of corporations as well as the government.