MAKING SOCIAL CHANGE EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

BY PARK WON SOON, Chief Executive Director, The Hope Institute
2006 Magsaysay Awardee for Public Service
Presented at the 2006 Magsaysay Awardees' Lecture Series
Magsaysay Center, Manila, 30 August 2006

Hello everyone. I feel very happy to have this chance to share my thoughts, dreams and actions with you. In fact, I believe these thoughts and dreams are not just mine but are shared by Korean society and everyone who dreams of achieving democracy and humanistic society. I believe sharing my stories will increase the chances to discuss and achieve those dreams.

I would first like to tell you how I have lived and what I have experienced. I was born to a poor farmer in the Korean countryside in 1956. As a result of studying hard, I got into Korea's most prestigious university, Seoul National University. While attending in 1975, I participated in pro-democracy demonstrations against President Park Chung Hee, the military ruler during that period, in memory of a student who killed himself by disembowelment asking for democracy in the country.

I was expelled from school and thrown in prison for participating in demonstrations. A prison cell replaced my college campus for the next few years. Even after I was released, I had a difficult time trying to register in school until 1980.

In the mid-1980's when the democratization movement actively occurred, the number of victims of the totalitarian regime increased disappearances, tortures, confinements and dismissals were rising, and these had an enormous effect on the lives of untold numbers of students, workers and intellectuals. In 1986, there was an incident where 1,600 college students were arrested at a sit-in strike. Practicing law at the time, I was representing about 100 publishing company owners. As the suppression increased, more students and citizens were arrested and brought to court. As a lawyer, I decided to participate in democratization by arguing the case for the defendants. Working for the dawn of democracy by arguing the case for the defendants was very rewarding and made me happy despite the fact that it was a dark and shameful chapter in Korean history.

In 1986, after the democratic structure was officially put into place in Korea, I set new goals and dreams. Military dictatorship was officially abolished, but there were still serious issues such as violation of human rights, corruption, lack of government efficiency and the non-participation of citizens. With the dream of abolishing these problems, People's Solidarity of Participatory Democracy (PSPD) was established, for which I worked as General Secretary. I felt government transparency and accountability, eliminating corruption, reforming the structure of big business (known as Chaebol), civil rights campaigns and political reform were the essential processes for the new government and for democracy. The campaign to defeat corrupt and incompetent candidates at the 2000 general election was a critical tool in the process.

In the late 1990's, officers and organizers of PSPD drafted many bills dealing with reform. Phone calls and visits to members of the National Assembly as well as signature-seeking campaigns at public places like Seoul Train Station helped us succeed. PSPD introduced 78 bills and half of them were passed in the National Assembly. Among those, there were Corruption Prevention Laws with 150 articles as well as the National Basic Livelihood, which is referred to as Korea's First Safety Net.

Defeating corrupt members of the Assembly was a critical component of the citizens' campaigns. Dissatisfaction with corrupt and incompetent Assembly Members was high, but no method for change existed. Elections took place only once every four years, and voters' options were limited because candidates of the ruling party and the opposition were too similar.

In order to abolish this corrupt system, PSPD, along with 1,000 citizens' groups, selected 86 corrupt and incompetent nominees and insisted against them being selected by political parties as qualified nominees and winning the election. Despite the fact that it was a violation of election law, PSPD received much support from citizens. As a result, 70% of all incompetent nominees and 90% in the National Capital Area were defeated. Since then, public officials and Assembly Members have taken citizens' and citizens groups' concerns seriously.

In Korea, PSPD is also called People's Solidarity of Meddling or People's Solidarity of Prosecuting since it has issued statements and sometimes lodged complaints against those responsible every time there was a problem in public works. PSPD has focused on accusing and prosecuting CEOs of big business groups. Due to its efforts, many Chaebol CEOs were jailed - Shindongah Group went bankrupt with its CEO arrested, SK Corporation and Doosan Group CEOs were arrested or prosecuted. Currently, Samsung CEO Kun-Hee Lee is under investigation.

These occurrences have become the basis through which Korean constitutionalism may take a step forward. Equality, with its basis in constitutionalism, it is strengthening its foundation through this process. At last, Korea is in the era of strong democracy with its emphases on expanding human rights, abolishing bureaucratic corruption and driving out government inefficiency. All this has become possible thanks to the passionate participation of Korean citizens.

In 2002, I moved on from being General Secretary at People's Solidarity of Participatory Democracy and established the Beautiful Foundation and the Beautiful Store.

Korean society went through rapid industrialization and sudden economic growth. What I thought most needed after the rapid industrialization was to spread love to our fellow citizens. Koreans and Korean society suddenly became rich, but only economically. I felt we were like pigs wearing pearl necklaces. It is difficult for social welfare and lessening the big gap between the rich and poor to be achieved only through government policy implementation. Donations are part and parcel of social integration and increase the quality of our lives. My goal, through the Beautiful Foundation, is to have every member of society participate in the 1% Donation Campaign -- a program where people can donate 1% of their annual earnings.

I established the Philanthropy Research Institute under the auspices of the Beautiful Foundation to emphasize investigating and researching the donation reality in Korea. At the same time, I established the Yoomoochong Library for Philanthropy to increase people's interest in donation. Once a year, the Philanthropy Research Center researches and announces donation trends in Korea, along with holding an international seminar entitled "Giving Korea". This is to awaken people's consciousness in their country and to establish a donation infrastructure.

Of all these things, I emphasize transparency the most. Accordingly, I upload all Beautiful Foundation's account books and all staff members' salary rates including my own to our website. Also, only 5% of donations are used to help run the Foundation. The rest of the organizational needs are filled by special fundraising events and board members' donations. Compared to other Foundations in both Korea and abroad, 5% is considered to be a very small administration cost. It is used effectively that the best possible proportion of public donations go directly to those who are in need the most.

As a result of these efforts, the Beautiful Foundation has become a symbol for Korean donation and charity. Last year we accepted 11.7 billion Won (US$ 11.7M) in donations. From this 11.7 billion Won, I wish to draw your attention to people who regularly give 1% of their income. 30,000 people participate in the 1% Donation Campaign by regularly donating 1% of their salaries, and 1,000 small-size store owners also regularly participate. Over six years, the total amount collected by these participants has exceeded 10 billion Won. Among these participants, there are many low-income donors including shoe-shiners, peddlers and people with significant disabilities. They proved the saying "There is no poverty that prevents one from sharing."

The Beautiful Store started as an affiliated organization of the Beautiful Foundation in 2002. The purpose of the Beautiful Store is to receive donated used items, raise revenue from selling them, and distribute the profit to people and places in need. Since its establishment, it has opened 72 stores across South Korea in 4 years and its total revenue exceeded 6.4 billion Won last year, 1.8 billion of which was distributed to the poor. Through donating goods not in use and buying what they need, the Beautiful Store provides an easy way for everyone to participate in the culture of giving. It has been an incredible way of spreading the idea of giving throughout our society.

In my life, I have tried to do work that nobody wishes to do or which no one does well. I believe there is no need of doing things that are already being done well by others. Finding something that nobody does has been my work and my joy. I believe social movements should always search for new things and innovative ways of doing them.

And so, I have again found new work needing to be done. When looking into our community, many things need to change. Through a microscope, we need to find, examine, and design the alternatives.

This is a new type of Think Tank movement and differs greatly from existing ones. First, we promote collective social invention with ideas from the general public. Its goal is to gather the creativity and analysis of ordinary people through the internet and make their wishes come true with the help of policy experts, researchers and officials. Second, the research should be based on reality and actions. Not only for theories, but fleshing out the details to apply the theories and plans into our daily lives. Third, the think tank works through networking - it depends not only on the staff researchers doing their jobs, but also on the work being done by many other outside experts. Fourth, this Think Tank movement is multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral, covering the general concerns of our society. With these guiding principles, I established the Hope Institute last spring. The Hope Institute aims to find, build and spread hope throughout Korean society as well as the entire Asian region beyond our borders.

I have always asserted that people who dream own the world. Considering society and community as priorities rather than myself, I have dreamed of a more democratic, humanistic society. A part of that dream has been achieved -- Korean society has altered and improved much in the last 5, 10, 20 years. However, many challenges still lie ahead of us. I proclaim myself to be a "Social Designer." Although this title may be the first ever, together with all of you, I will step forward to help design a better society that is more democratic and more humanistic.

Thank you very much.