PSPD in English About PSPD 2017-06-09 97394

About PSPD

PEOPLE’S SOLIDARITY FOR PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY(PSPD)

Non-Governmental Organization in Seoul, Republic of Korea

This is a short introduction of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy for English users, as of March 2023.

WHO WE ARE

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) is a non-governmental organization based in Seoul, Republic of Korea. We were founded in 1994 by activists, scholars, and lawyers who were engaged in various democratic movements for participatory democracy and human rights. PSPD has been working on promoting people’s participation in government decision-making processes and socio-economic reforms, by closely monitoring the abuse of power of the state and corporations to enhance transparency and accountability.

WHAT WE DO

Watch
We are a watchdog organization that closely monitors abuse of power by government and private corporations.

Alternatives
We research and propose alternative policies, bills, and measures to enhance people’s livelihood and rights.

Participation
Members and volunteers are fundamental to our activities. Our operations depend on membership fees of around 14,000 members (as of July 2022).

Solidarity
We stand in solidarity with local, regional, and global people’s movements to uphold democracy. We promote and protect human rights of minorities and marginalized people.

MAIN CAMPAIGNS

1994-2001 Campaign for social safety net and securing minimum living standard
1994 Campaign to Protect Whistle-blowers
1996-2001 Campaign to enact Anti-Corruption Act (enacted in 2001)
1997-2007 Campaign for the rights of minor shareholders of Chaebol including Samsung Electronics
2000, 2004 Civil Action for the General Election (CAGE) – No Vote for Corrupted Candidates Campaign
2001 Present Campaign to lower mobile phone bill
2002 Campaign to amend the US-ROK Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA)
2003, 2008 Campaign against dispatching Korean troops to Iraq and Afghanistan
2004, 2006 Hope-up Campaign to raise the minimum cost of living provided by the government
2006 Open and update a database website to monitor activities of members of parliament
2006-2011 Campaign against the ROK-US Free Trade Agreement
2007 Campaign to lower expenses on university tuition fees
2008 Campaign against the import of US beef with mad cow disease
2009 Campaign to revise the Ordinance of Seoul Square for People’s Freedom of Assembly
2010 Campaign to reinvestigate the sunken Cheonan warship incident
2011 Campaign against the construction of the Jeju naval base
2012 Campaign to introduce living wage by the Seoul Metropolitan Government
2013 Campaign for economic democratization by protecting small merchants and regulating Chaebol
2013 Campaign calling for a transparent investigation of illegal intervention of the National Intelligence Service in the 2012 Presidential Election
2014 Campaign to find the truth about the Sewol ferry tragedy
2015 Campaign to reform the electoral system by expanding proportional representations
2016-2017 People’s Action for Immediate Resignation of President Park Geun-hye
2018 Campaign for the abolition of the National Assembly’s special activity expense
2019 Campaign to enact Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials
2020 Campaign to amend Housing Lease Protection Act / Peace Campaign to End the Korean War
2021 Campaign to build good public hospitals / Campaign to enact Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest Related to duties of Public Servants

Department

Center for Judicial Watch Monitoring the Prosecutor’s Office, courts, and lawyers to uphold the rule of law and bring institutional reform of the judicial body
Center for Legislative Watch Monitoring the activities of members of parliament and campaigning to reform the electoral system
Center for Administrative Watch Monitoring public bureaus for a transparent and accountable policymaking process
Center for Whistle-blower Support Supporting and protecting whistle-blowers
Public Interest Law Center Supporting public interest litigations for democracy and human rights
Committee for Fair Labor Society Monitoring labor policies and suggesting alternative labor policies to ensure fair working conditions
Center for People’s Livelihood Improvement Campaigning for lowering costs for telecommunication services, housing, and education
Committee for Social Welfare Monitoring social welfare policies and suggesting alternative policies to establish a welfare state
Center for Economic and Financial Justice Monitoring financial supervision institutes and the disproportionate economic power of the Chaebol (conglomerates) in order to establish economic justice
Center for Tax Reform Monitoring taxation and finance policies for fair taxation and tax system reforms
Center for International Solidarity Building solidarity with international civil society to advocate various democracy and human rights issues
Center for Peace and Disarmament Advocating for peace, disarmament, and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia
Academy Neutinamu Providing education programs for liberal arts, democracy, and human rights
Institute for a Participatory Society Suggesting alternative policies and for publishing the biannual academic journal “Citizen and the World”
PSPD Youth Council Advocating for the voice of the youth

INDEPENDENT AND TRANSPARENT ORGANIZATION

PSPD does not receive any government funding. We are 100% funded by individual donations and membership fees.

ACTIVITIES

Lawsuits – Civil, Criminal, and Constitutional Cases
Legislations, Petitions
Request for Audits and Inspections of Government bodies
Press conferences, Panel discussions
Press Statement, Commentaries
Publications – Policy Report, Books, Periodicals
Non-violent Direct Action – One person demonstration, Protests, and Rallies
Public Lectures, Community Courses
Youth training

UN ECOSOC Consultative Status

PSPD has been actively engaging with UN bodies including the UN Human Rights Council and the Security Council. In 2004, PSPD obtained consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).