(LEAD) President names new head of human rights watchdog
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, additional information in paras 5-7)
SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in named a new female head of the human rights watchdog Tuesday, amid growing public demand to better protect women's rights and those of minorities.
Choi Young-ae, the incumbent chief of the human rights commission of the Seoul city government, has been tapped as the new chief of the National Human Rights Commission, Moon's spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a press briefing.
The photo provided by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae shows Choi Young-ae, nominee for the chief of the National Human Rights Commission. (Yonhap)
The 67-year-old, if appointed, will replace Lee Sung-ho, who was appointed to the ministerial post in 2015 by the ousted former president, Park Geun-hye. The human rights commission chief nominee is required to undergo a parliamentary confirmation hearing.
Choi, a native of Busan, is considered to have long worked for minorities, including those exposed to sexual violence. She served as the head of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center from 1991-2001.
"The nominee is a human rights expert, who has been working to defend the rights of the socially weak over the past 30 years," the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said of Choi, adding that she is expected to "contribute to transforming our country into an advanced nation in terms of human rights protection."
Choi, if appointed, will be the first female chief of the rights watchdog, as well as the first to be appointed through a public nomination system.
"With such a nomination process, the country has now secured independence and transparency in the process to select a member of the human rights commission, which has long been demanded by local and international rights groups," Kim said.
Choi's nomination comes amid growing awareness against sexual violence and abuses sparked by the still spreading "Me Too" campaign.
The president has repeatedly called for stern punishment for perpetrators and better protection for victims of sexual crimes.
"We should deal sternly with (these crimes) from the beginning and provide special protection for victims," Moon was quoted as saying in a Cabinet meeting held July 3.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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