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).
PSPD is a member of several international and regional network organizations
- Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
- Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL)
- Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- The reality of Aid (ROA)
- Solidarity for Democratization Movement in Asia (SDMA)
- World Alliance for Citizens Participation (CIVICUS)
- International Peace Bureau (IPB)
- International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)
Get involved
Join our monthly newsletter “This Month at PSPD”
Please visit bit.ly/PSPDEnglishNewsletter
Become a Member / Volunteer
Contact pspdint@pspd.org, +82 (0)2 723 5051
Facebook @peoplepower21
Twitter @peoplepower21
Instagram @peoplepower21
YouTube @pspd1994
Contact us
Address 16, Jahamunro 9-gil, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (03036)
Tel +82 (0)2 723 5051
Fax +82 (0)2 6919 2004
Email pspdint@pspd.org
Website www.peoplepower21.org/english
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