Calls for the resignation of Ahn Chang-ho, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), are spreading to bureau-level executives and multiple departments within the commission. Internal opposition is growing after mid-level managers returned their posts and some departments joined the demands for his departure.
According to the commission on the 10th, a statement issued in the name of the director of the Policy Cooperation Bureau and its staff was posted on the internal bulletin board that day. "Since the handling of the agenda item on former President Yoon Suk-yeol's right to defense, staff have conveyed their opinions in various ways on multiple occasions to restore the commission's standing, which has fallen endlessly," they said. "To overcome the current situation, we request the chairman make a responsible decision regarding his position." This marks the first time a bureau-level executive has publicly called for Ahn's resignation.
Department-level resignation demands also followed on the same day. Staff at the commission's Gwangju Human Rights Office urged his resignation through the internal bulletin board, saying, "A responsible answer from the chairman is needed so that the organization can regain stability and the commission can focus on its inherent role." Eleven staff members of the Operations Support Division also posted a message reading, "We earnestly hope the chairman will make an honorable decision."
The previous day, investigators of the Military Human Rights Protection Bureau demanded that he "make a responsible decision to step down from the chairmanship to prevent further confusion and distrust." The Human Rights Education Planning Division also criticized the commission, saying, "Over the past several years, the commission has instead expanded and reproduced the language of hatred and discrimination, greatly damaging the credibility of human rights education."
Despite this internal opposition, Ahn has maintained his position that he has no intention of resigning. At a staff assembly on the 1st of this month, responding to executives who successively announced their intention to return their posts, Ahn said, "The organization can become healthier when differing opinions do not stop at criticism but lead to mature dialogue."
