“Human rights commission urges national pension to strengthen human rights assessment of investee companies”, 13 April 2026

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has recommended that the Ministry of Health and Welfare significantly strengthen human rights considerations within the National Pension Service’s responsible investment policy. The key proposal calls for enhanced human rights indicators within the ESG (environmental, social and governance) framework and for the possibility of restricting investment where companies fail to improve their practices.

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Accordingly, the Commission recommended the introduction of process-based indicators — including the implementation of human rights due diligence — an increased weighting of human rights factors in evaluations, and the application of consistent standards across both domestic and overseas investments, including externally managed funds.

… It also called for the explicit inclusion of “human rights-related risks and management” within the National Pension Service’s list of priority management issues, and for human rights risks to be systematically considered when identifying unforeseen areas of concern.

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The Commission further stated that relevant enforcement decrees should be amended to allow human rights and environmental experts to participate in the fund management committee and its subcommittees.