Lee Myung-bak's conservative government is damaging everything the people have fought for.

The sudden resignation of Ahn Kyong-whan, chairman of the Nation Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), has signalled another disturbing sign about the state of democracy and human rights in South Korea. Ahn resigned after enduring more than a year of pressure from the conservative government of President Lee Myung-bak, which tried to downsize the human-rights body and place it under the direct control of the president's office itself.

The move to put the NHRCK under the direct control of the government, which would have undermined the independence and credibility of the body, has apparently failed after widespread opposition from civil society and progressive media. However, the government did succeed last year in getting rid of as many as 40 NHRCK staff members.

Ahn, a former law professor and writer, was apparently frustrated by this and decided to quit as an act of protest on June 30.

This is not the first conflict between the conservative government and the pro-democratic forces of South Korea. A few state-funded bodies have already been affected, including the Korea Democracy Foundation and the May 18 Memorial Foundation.

Government funds supporting postgraduate studies by South Korean students on Southeast Asia's civil-society-related topics have also been curbed. The right to protest has also been further restricted since Lee came into power, and there's a broad consensus among South Korean political activists and progressives that democracy and their rights as citizens to actively engage in politics are under attack.

The surprise suicide of former president Roh Moo-hyun on May 23, which led to a massive vigil and demonstration, has made it all too apparent that the country is divided and many are upset with the current administration.

For all the private and public debates taking place in Seoul and beyond, the Thai public should be made aware that a serious setback to democracy and human-rights institutions in South Korea will likely be a blow to democracy and human rights, not just in Korea but also in East and Southeast Asia. This is because South Korea has been a pillar of democracy in Asia. Its citizens have successfully fought one military dictatorship after another as exemplified in the May 1980 Gwangju democratic uprising against Chun Doo-hwan.

At least 165 people died after students and citizens of the southern city of Gwangju rose up against the dictator and successfully defended the city for more than a week. The uprising eventually led to the downfall of military rule in South Korea.

Unlike Thailand, it is now virtually unimaginable that there will ever be a coup d'้tat ever again in South Korea. However, the struggle against a democratically elected government, albeit one which apparently is dismissive of or even adversarial to the idea of active citizens and human-rights institutions, has been taking place since Lee came to power.

Lee need not take his country down this path and undermine the democratic gains as well as human-rights standards of South Korea. The country's vibrant democracy and human-rights community have been a boon to the region, which stretches from Tokyo to Islamabad, as South Korean human-rights, labour and political activists engage with their Asian counterparts and support their peers. For instance, the protest in South Korea against the United States' war against Iraq in 2001 was arguably the strongest mounted by any Asian nation.

Many people may not be aware of this, but South Korea's contribution to the democratisation of the region is not negligible, though not always visible. This is not a South Korea of cheap-car exports and K-Pop, but a country where fellow human-rights activists from the region, including Thailand's very own Angkhana Neelpaijit, receive awards and support. It's a country where political activists like Ji Ungpakorn get encouraged and given a space to share their ideas when it becomes difficult or even illegal to do so in Thailand.

It's not too late for President Lee to recognise that a strong and democratic South Korea that advances respect for human rights is good for its own reputation.

However, the Asian human-rights community is not confident about Lee's stance and commitment. Earlier this week, they issued a petition to be submitted to Lee, who under the law will be choosing a new chairman for the NHRCK, urging him to choose someone with "recognised integrity" and "credibility" and to ensure the independence of the body.