The Republic of Korea (South Korea) experienced a tumultuous year of escalating tensions with North Korea and an increasingly acrimonious political environment that resulted in the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol following his unexpected and short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3. Overall, South Korea’s human rights record remained positive. However, several human rights concerns persisted, including widespread discrimination against women and girls; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people; older people; and people with disabilities. Media also documented a dramatic rise in digital sex crimes committed against women and girls.
Freedoms of Expression and Assembly
Although South Korea in 2024 enjoyed a relatively free media environment and a diverse civil society, the government’s increasing use of criminal defamation laws and the National Security Law (NSL) to limit scrutiny of its actions raised concerns over press freedoms and the state of democratic space in the country. Before President Yoon’s December attempt to impose martial law, his administration used criminal defamation suits to retaliate against his critics at a markedly higher rate than his predecessors. The December 3 martial law decree contained sweeping restrictions on media, freedom of expression, and the rights to association and assembly. On December 3, Yoon ordered security officials to arrest key political leaders and occupy the offices of many newspapers and broadcasters.
The NSL continued to be used to violate basic rights. It allows the government to prosecute those who own or disseminate materials alleged to be North Korean propaganda. In August, the police raided the People’s Democracy Party headquarters, alleging violations of the NSL. In November 2023, a South Korean court sentenced a poet to 14 months in prison for writing a poem praising North Korea. In his December martial law declaration, President Yoon labeled his political opponents “anti-state forces,” a vague and overbroad term used in the NSL, echoing rhetoric he has used previously.
Women’s and Girls’ Rights
Structural discrimination against women and girls is endemic in South Korea. The Economist magazine’s “Glass Ceiling Index” again named South Korea the worst place to be a working woman among 29 OECD countries studied in 2024. Women receive approximately 30 percent less compensation than male counterparts and only hold 16 percent of board seats nationwide.
The government failed to adequately address rampant digital sex crimes, including tackling gender inequality as a root cause. In August, media outlets reported on an explosion of cases in which nonconsensual deepfake sexual images predominantly targeting girls and women were generated and disseminated on the messaging platform Telegram, which prompted protests and rallies.
In May, an appeal court rejected an appeal to unblock the Women on Web (WoW) website, highlighting the difficulties women and girls face in accessing safe and affordable abortions despite the decriminalization of abortion in 2021. Without clear legal frameworks ensuring access to abortion care, South Korea fails to safeguard the rights of women and girls.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Lawmakers have not enacted comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation protecting LGBT people and other marginalized groups. In a significant victory in July, the Supreme Court affirmed that the country’s National Health Insurance Service must extend dependent benefits to same-sex partners.
The appointment of Ahn Chang-ho, a former Constitutional Court justice known for his anti-LGBT stance as the next chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea threatens the recognition of LGBT rights. Ahn opposes a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that would provide legal protections for all marginalized groups, including LGBT people.
Policy on Human Rights in North Korea
South Korea’s policy on North Korean human rights is politicized domestically and influenced by broad geopolitical interests and tensions with Pyongyang. In January, Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea had abandoned its longstanding ambitions for reunification. In August, President Yoon maintained his call for “freedom-based unification” with the North, although in June, South Korea suspended the Panmunjom Declaration, a key military agreement, over heightened tensions after North Korea sent thousands of balloons carrying garbage over the border.
In August, President Yoon announced the creation of a North Korean human rights fund to support organizations that promote human rights in the country. In May, the Yoon administration designated July 14 as “North Korean Defectors’ Day,” though a recent survey has shown that nearly 70 percent of North Korean escapees still struggle to make a living and half of them feel that discrimination has negatively impacted their economic status. On the inauguration of “North Korean Defectors’ Day,” President Yoon pledged to offer financial incentives to companies that hire North Korean escapees.
In March, a South Korea-based non-profit sued the North Korean government in a South Korean court for a decades-long campaign that used false promises, via the “Paradise on Earth” repatriation program, to lure ethnic Koreans to the country.
Workers’ Rights
There are many gaps in protections in South Korea’s labor rights landscape, especially non-unionized employees and migrant workers. Despite being slated to chair the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s executive body, the South Korean government has not ratified key conventions and protocols of the ILO, including Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work.
In February, doctors resigned or went on strike, protesting policies that would increase medical student quotas, but failed to address low wages and grueling working conditions. These strikes, which continued throughout the year, have disrupted critical services, raised concerns about worker exploitation and the government’s failure to prioritize labor protections.
Migrant workers in South Korea face particularly harsh living and working conditions. Although foreign workers are reportedly nearly three times more likely to die in work-related accidents than their South Korean counterparts, in 2024, the government cut off support for migrant support centers, as the number of foreign workers in the country reached an all-time high in 2023.
Environment and Human Rights
In a landmark ruling in August, the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that the country’s climate legislation was insufficient for safeguarding the rights of future generations in the context of the global climate crisis. The ruling was the first of its kind in Asia.