PSPD in English About PSPD 2017-06-09   97985

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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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
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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
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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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