A seminar on human rights protection was staged at the National Museum of Taiwan Literature Feb. 22 in Tainan City, underscoring ceaseless government efforts to promote one of the country’s fundamental values, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Jointly organized by NMTL, National Tainan Girls’ Senior High School and civic organization Tainan Sprout, the one-day event focused on the practices of South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and their potential applications in Taiwan.
During her opening remarks, NMTL Director Nikky Lin said Taiwan and South Korea share many historical similarities, such as their respective democracy movements after World War II.
Transitional justice approaches adopted by the South Korean government provide great examples for Taiwan’s future policymaking, she added.
Lin said NMTL has been actively working to enhance public awareness of human rights. Among other efforts, the institution has staged a literature exhibition featuring works from the White Terror period (1945-1992) and published two collections of the era’s literature and novels depicting political atrocities, both translated into English.
Echoing Lin’s remarks, Keun-Sik Jung, a professor of sociology at Seoul National University, said his country has implemented many laws and regulations to address major human rights issues that occurred during decolonization and in the lead-up to liberalization.
The former chair of the South Korean commission said transitional justice requires an interdisciplinary strategy, adding that he hopes to see South Korea and Taiwan expand related cooperation. (SFC-E)
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