MAKING SOCIAL CHANGE

EVERYBODYS BUSINESS
By PARK WON SOON
2006 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
for Public Service
Presented at the 48th Ramon Magsaysay Awards Lecture Series
30 August, 2006, Manila, Philippines

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 Koreas most prestigious university, Seoul
National University. While attending in 1975, I participated in prodemocracy 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.
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In the mid-1980s 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 nonparticipation of citizens. With the dream of abolishing these problems,
Peoples 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 1990s, 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 Koreas First Safety Net.
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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 Peoples Solidarity of Meddling or Peoples
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.

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In 2002, I moved on from being General Secretary at Peoples 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 peoples 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 peoples
consciousness in their country and to establish a donation infrastructure.
Of all these things, I emphasize transparency the most. Accordingly, I
upload all Beautiful Foundations 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

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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.
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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 multidisciplinary 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.

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