South Korea cannot immediately ratify the Optional Protocol to the U.N. Convention Against Torture because it may conflict with domestic law, the justice ministry said Friday.

The country delivered the position during a U.N. meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday and Thursday for a review of the country report, saying the mandate of the U.N. subcommittee on torture prevention could conflict with South Korea’s domestic law, according to the ministry.

For now, it would be desirable for South Korea to take advantage of the mechanism of domestic law, it said.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture gives the U.N. subcommittee the right to visit detention facilities in the country and examine how people are treated there, and stipulates the installation of an independent national body to strengthen international cooperation in preventing torture.

South Korea, which ratified the treaty in 1995, has yet to sign the optional protocol.

During the review, inquiries regarding the refugee
approval rate and overcrowding issues in detention centers were also brought up, ministry officials said.

Pointing to the lack of personnel in the refugee evaluation process, the ministry promised to improve the procedure together with the state human rights watchdog and civic groups.

It also introduced the newly built detention center in Geochang, 218 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as an example that shows the successful resolution of conflict with local residents when trying to build new detention facilities or move existing ones.

The U.N. Committee Against Torture positively mentioned factors like guaranteeing access to medical treatment of inmates in detention centers, improvements in the refugee status review process and the installation of a human rights protection officer in the military, ministry officials said.

The final results of the review will be announced on July 26.

The U.N. Convention against Torture, an international treaty adopted in 1987, was put in place to prevent torture and other a
cts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Source: Yonhap News Agency