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Presentation of Opinions on the War on Iraq [2003] KRNHRC 13 (1 January 2003)

The Commission has been entrusted by the people of Korea with the duty
to protect and advance the cause of human rights, according to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. As a national institution, the Commission has the
responsibility and duty to protect the right to life and safety of the citizens of
Korea, and to promote the principles and values of the Constitution of the
Republic of Korea, which promotes world peace and renounces wars of
aggression. The Commission delivered its opinion on the war on Iraq to the
government and the National Assembly as mandated by Clause 1, Article 19
and Clause 1, Article 25 of the National Human Rights Commission Act as
follows.
1. The UN Security Council Resolution passed in November 2002 does not
expressly stipulate military invasion if Iraq fails to comply with disarmament of
weapons of mass destruction, nor does it approve of US military action or
interference related to regime change.
2. The United States maintains that civilian casualties will be minimized.
However, after indiscriminate US bombardment of Iraq, the number of civilian
casualties has increased greatly. As full scale ground combat begins in the near
future, these numbers can only multiply.
3. Anti war rallies are currently gathering momentum all around the world.
In South Korea, 700 civic organizations have formed a coalition groups called
"Joint Committee for Peace not War" to formally express their anti war position,
and with each passing day, the peace movement is gaining wider support.
4. The preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea pledges to
contribute to world peace and the mutual prosperity of humankind, and Clause
1, Article 5 states, "The Republic of Korea shall endeavor to maintain
international peace and shall renounce all aggressive wars."
5. As the history of humankind shows, peace without human rights and
human rights without peace is a groundless illusion. The Commission hopes the
Iraqi people will be able to solve their own problems in a peaceful and
humanitarian way following the conventions of international law and
international human rights institutions.
6. Since the 1991 Gulf War, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people have died
of disease and hunger. Even with technological advances, modern warfare
cannot avoid large scale loss of human life.
7. The South Korean government and the National Assembly must take
future national interests and humanitarian issues into consideration on the war
on Iraq. The situation in Iraq can be directly linked to the issue of North
Korea in the future, and action that is currently being decided can be an
important yardstick for decisions when tensions are high on the Korean
peninsula. The Commission highly recommends that the government and the
National Assembly approach the issue using the principles of anti war, peace,
and human rights.