(KPL/Yonhap) Two Republic of Korean experts have been elected as chairs of separate U.N. committees overseeing civil and political rights and the rights of persons with disabilities, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Soh Chang-rok, a professor at the graduate school of international studies at Korea University, will serve as the chair of the U.N. Human Rights Committee on monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). He will serve a two-year term through 2027.

Soh, known for his yearslong expertise in human rights, has already been serving as an ICCPR committee member for a four-year term from 2025-28.

Kim Mi-yeon, a reelected member of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will serve as its chair for a two-year term, with a possible extension.

Kim also has extensive experience as an expert on women and disability issues.

Their elections mark the first time in 18 years that a Republic of Korean has been chosen to lead a U.N. human rights treaty body. The previous case was the election of Lee Yang-hee as chair of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child in May 2007.

"The expertise and contributions of the two newly elected chairs, alongside Republic of Korea's role as a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council for 2025-27, are expected to significantly enhance the country's global standing in the field of human rights protection and promotion," the ministry said in a release.

KPL