United Nations
Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment
CAT/C/KOR/CO/3-5*
Distr.: General
30 May 2017
Original: English
Committee against Torture
Concluding observations on the combined third to fifth
periodic reports of the Republic of Korea**
1.
The Committee against Torture considered the combined third to fifth periodic
reports of the Republic of Korea (CAT/C/KOR/3-5) at its 1524th and 1527th meetings (see
CAT/C/SR.1524 and 1527), held on 2 and 3 May 2017, and adopted the present concluding
observations at its 1538th and 1539th meetings, held on 11 May 2017.
A.
Introduction
2.
The Committee regrets the late submission, in 2016, of the combined third to fifth
periodic reports, which made them four years overdue. The Committee appreciates having
had the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue with the State party’s delegation
and the oral and written responses provided to the questions and concerns raised during its
consideration of the report.
B.
Positive aspects
3.
The Committee welcomes the ratification of or accession to the following
international instruments by the State party:
(a)
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, in 2006;
(b)
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in December
2008.
4.
The Committee also welcomes the State party’s initiatives to revise its legislation in
areas of relevance to the Convention, including in respect of the following:
(a)
The amendments made in 2006 and 2007 to the Criminal Procedure Act
providing, inter alia, for the application of the exclusionary rule (see article 308-2 of the
Act), the right of legal counsel to be present during interrogations by representatives of
investigating agencies, the expansion of the scope of cases in which public defenders shall
be appointed and the imposition of stricter conditions regarding the admissibility of written
evidence;
(b)
The adoption in 2007 of the Act on the Punishment of Crimes within the
Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which covers certain types of torture and
other forms of inhuman treatment that constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes
* Reissued for technical reasons on 14 June 2017.
** Adopted by the Committee at its sixtieth session (18 April-12 May 2017).
GE.17-08636(E)