Planning Agency; the implementation of article 12, particularly as concerned visits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, problems relating to article 15 o£ the Covenant; the continued imprisonment of persons on grounds of their political opinion; and the request of an advance authorization for assemblies and demonstrations. It was also considered that the conditions under which prisoners were being re-educated did not constitute rehabilitation in the normal sense, but rather coercion and an infringement of the provisions of the Covenant relating to freedom of conscience. 507. The representative of the State party assured the members of the Committee that the comments that had been made would be transmitted to his Government and stressed the importance his country attached to the dialogue with the Committee. The outcome of the consideration of the report by the Committee had increased the Government's awareness of its responsibilities under the Covenant. Positive comments made by members would be an encouragement to renew efforts in favour of human rights while criticisms would act as an accelerator where further improvement was callea for, 508. In concluding the consideration of the initial report of the Republic of Korea, the Chairman thanked the delegation for its clear and comprehensive replies to the questions asked by members of the Committee. He expressed the hope that all the Committee's comments would be transmitted to the competent bodies and taken into account during the formulation of new legislation and the revision of existing laws. Comments of the Committee 509. As indicated in paragraph 45 above, the Committee, at its 1123rd meeting, held on 24 March 1992, decided that henceforth, at the conclusion of the consideration of a State party's report, it would adopt comments reflecting the views of the Committee as a whole. 510. In accordance with that decision, at its 1173rd meeting, held on 29 July 1992, the Committee adopted the following comments. Introduction 511. The Committee expresses its appreciation for the State party's welldocumented report, which had been submitted within the specified time-limit. The report contained detailed information on the laws and regulations relating to the implementation of the Covenant. However, the Committee notes that the report does not include sufficient information about the implementation of the Covenant in practice and about factors and difficulties that might impede the application of the Covenant. At the same time the Committee appreciates the clear and comprehensive oral replies and detailed clarifications given by the delegation. 1, Positive aspects 512. The Committee notes with satisfaction that in recent years the Republic of Korea has become a party to a number of international human rights instruments, including the Covenant and its Optional Protocol, and that it has -122-