Lawmakers cite plagiarism, forgery allegations against NHRC head
The main opposition Democratic United Party on Tuesday stepped up its opposition to the reappointment of National Human Rights Commission chief Hyun Byung-chul, who is under fire for alleged irregularities and abuse of authority.
The DUP members of Hyun’s confirmation hearing committee held a joint press conference on Tuesday, the day after the disputed chief faced parliamentary questioning. They called for the reversal of Hyun’s nomination and vowed to take various allegations involving the commissioner to the prosecution for investigation.
Democratic United Party lawmakers including Rep. Woo Won-shik (second from left) raise questions about plagiarism and real estate speculation by National Human Rights Commission Chairman Hyun Byung-chul at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday.(Yonhap News)
“The DUP does not acknowledge Hyun as the rightful NHRC head and strongly opposes his reappointment,” they said in a joint statement.
“President Lee Myung-bak will encounter resistance not only from the opposition camp but also from the people (unless he retracts the reappointment).”
The former president of Hanyang Cyber University repeatedly came under fire for lacking experience, inappropriate remarks and alleged irregularities.
“Hyun not only plagiarized eight of his papers but also submitted fabricated documents to the parliamentary hearing,” the lawmakers said.
They also claimed that he put North Korean defectors in danger by publicly presenting actual cases of human rights violations in North Korea.
“Over the past three years, Hyun remained oblivious to or ignorant of crucial current affairs including the Yongsan tragedy,” they added.
“He lacks the professional knowledge and conscience required of a human rights watchdog leader.”
The hearing committee is to vote on the confirmation report on Wednesday.
According to the current National Assembly Act, the president may confirm his appointment even without parliamentary approval.
Liberal lawmakers, led by DUP floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won, also demanded that the ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Park Geun-hye clarify her stance on the issue. The ruling party has so far refrained from officially commenting on the issue.
But as some ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers also questioned Hyun’s qualifications, the reappointment of Hyun is expected to face escalating opposition.
“Hyun should resign without further consideration, as the suggested allegations already prove his disqualification,” said Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the Saenuri Party.
Fifth-term lawmaker Rep. Nam Kyung-pil said that Hyun would be of little contribution to the state of human rights and urged him to make the right decision.
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
