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South Korea's National Assembly passes bill to ban 'suicide
5 articles |
Updated 10h ago |
Created 19h ago
The Korean parliament approved legislation on March 24 aimed at prohibiting police from using lethal force against suspects who refuse surrender or engage in self-harm during detention; this move follows a disturbing trend where over two dozen individuals have committed suicide while held under arrest by law enforcement officers since last year's ban failed to deter such acts.
Key Points
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1The South Korean government has announced a ban on the use of 'Gongga' and other specific terms in official communications.
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2This policy change applies to all 20 national ministries, agencies, local governments (si/gun-gup), public institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, police stations, fire departments, courts, prosecutors offices, prisons, military bases, the National Assembly, Supreme Court of Justice and Constitutional Tribunal. The ban is effective immediately.
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3The government states that these terms are considered offensive to ethnic minorities in Korea due to their historical connotations related to colonial oppression.
Developments
[Mar 24]
'Gongga' (and similar derogatory Korean words) will be banned from use by all national ministries, agencies and local governments starting immediately. This includes public institutions like schools, hospitals, police stations etc., as well the National Assembly.
(Same Day)
"The Ministry of Education" has been renamed to "Ministry of General Affairs", while other terms have also changed accordingly in official documents and communications across all government bodies. This change aims at promoting respect for ethnic minorities within Korea, which is the main reason why this ban was implemented.