minbyun - lawyers for a democratic society

MINBYUN - Lawyers for a Democratic Society

MINBYUN’s Regulations - Article 1 (The official name)

This organization is an organization for democratic society. ‘MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society’ is the English name (hereafter: MINBYUN).

MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society

MINBYUN’s Regulations – Article 3 (The purposes of the organization).

The purposes of this organization is to contribute to the protection of fundamental human rights and to develop democracy.

MINBYUN’s Regulations – Article 4 (Our activities) for the purpose of Article 3, this organization does as follows:

1.legal aid through defenses to protect fundamental human rights. 2.investigation and research for law and institutions.3.education, publication, promotion and solidarity re: Article 1. and 2. This is necessary to assist the goals of other organizations.

t - Freedom of Speech - Freedom of Conscience and the Press- Freedom of Assembly and Association and Thought, and Freedom of Religion- Protection of Human Rights in Criminal Proceedings

- Labor rights- The Rights of Health/ The Right to Life - The Right of Environment- Against discrimination against social minorities and women- Settlement of past affairs by lawsuit Social RightsRights of

Freedom

Reinforcement of the system for protection of human rights in criminal proceedings

Unification of the legal profession, a judicial system with civil participation and law schools

Efforts to secure democratic justification and a diverse makeup of the supreme court and constitutional court

Reform of the prosecution

Monitoring and criticizing the abuse of authority from the public security office

Discussion about human rights

From the movement for abolition of unfair laws to active movement for legislation

- Movement for abolition of the National Security Act- Protect the weak during redevelopment- Legislation of SSM

Suggest alternative legislation to promote human rights

- Report- Announce statements of opinion - Petition for legislation

General Assembly

President

Vice-President

Gyungnam Branch

Advisory Inspection

Executive Committee

Secretariat Committee

Busan Branch

Daegu Branch

Ulsan Bracnch

Gwangju-Jeonnam Branch

Daejeon-Chungcheong Branch Jeonju-Jeonbuk Branch

Legal Action

Membership

Education

Publication & Public Relations

External Relations

Finance & Administration

U.S. Military Issues

Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Correction of Past Wrongdoings

Judiciary

Media

Public Welfare & Economy

Education & Youth

International Solidarity

Minority

International Financial Trade Relations

Legal Action Secretariat

- Distribution and management of legal action

- Evaluation of law structure

- Management of claim for public information

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations


Membership

- New membership

- Monthly meetings

- Contact to bureau and branches

- Regular business (hiking, athletic, general meeting, year-end party)

- Data base

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations


Education

- Training to become a lawyer

- Practice of law school students

- Study groups

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations



- Online public relations (homepage, blog, newsletter)

- Public relations to media

- Commentary - Plan to publicize <Legal Action for Democratic

Society>

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations


External Relations

Solidarity of external organizations such as organizations of lawyers

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations



- Membership fee

- Budget

- Build an accounting system

- Actions of members

Legal Action

Membership

Education


External Relations



Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


U.S. Military Issues Committee

- Research for contracts made with the U.S. Military, national regulations about the contract, and relations between the USA and Korea.

- Review of lawsuits.

- Finding remedies against various damages which Koreans suffered caused by the US Forces in Korea, for example through planned lawsuits.

Reunification Committee

On the basis of ‘The reunification is the most important issue that Koreans face as well as the one issue that decides the future of the Korean peninsula’:

- Research for laws of the relations between North and South Korea, and solidarity with related organizations

- Concrete plan for reunification and research for legal basics and contents

- Effort to resolve problems of the National Security Act and inter-Korean relations


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority



Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Women’s Rights Committee

Various activities for gender equality, protection of women’s rights and improvement of welfare

- Six teams (family law, abolishing prostitution and sex trafficking, preventing from violence against women, poverty and women labor, publication and planning, membership management) + legal aid team for female immigrants


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Environment Committee

Legal aid for movements for the environment

- Solidarity with other activist groups for the environment to file environmental public interest litigation

- Publishing a source book of environmental lawsuit cases

- Management of a learning resource center for environmental litigation

Labour Committee

- Central Committee which has remained true since MINBYUN’s founding to protect the rights of labourers who are perceived as second-class citizens.

- Investigation and research for labour disputes, defense in labour issues, legislation monitoring, solidarity to discuss various labour issues, labour administration monitoring, etc.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Media Committee

- Suggesting alternatives and policies for development for the media’s role in our society.

- Movement for improvement of press law with other media organizations for a more desirable media environment.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Judiciary Committee

- Monitoring the actions of the Presidential Commission on Judicial Reform.

- As a mouthpiece for MINBYUN’s positions on judicial reform programs.

- Seeking legal and institutional strategies for judicial reform through solidarity and debating.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Correction of Past Wrongdoings Committee

- Lawsuits against human rights violations by the government’s abuses of authority.

- Raising problems for the clarification of the past to the judiciary.

- Seeking the necessary legislative action

concerning the effects of past wrongdoings on our society.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Public Welfare & Economy Committee

- Finding various issues about economic public welfare, suggesting active policy direction to alleviate socio-economic polarization, preparation for legislative action, and actively seeking solidarity.

- The problems of housing, consumer, middle class borrowing, and small & medium enterprises, etc.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Education & Youth Committee

- Protection for the right to education and right to self-determination.

- Support movements for democratization of education.

- Activities for eradication of corrupt private education and for Private School Law reform.

- Protection for the rights of youth and teachers.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


International Solidarity Committee

- Consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

- UN human rights monitoring mechanism to report domestic and foreign human rights conditions, and activities to enhance the effective national implementation of International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Minority Committee

- Movement to research for law for the prohibition of discrimination and to enact the law.

- Research for international data such as the handbook of the European Court of Human Rights.

- Solidarity with other organizations for sexual minorities, the military, the disabled, and female immigrants.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


International Finance Committee

- Raising the problem of the self-righteous government’s method to conclude the FTA.

- Monitoring international finance policy and controlling speculative financial capital.

- Research for data of trade law and international finance.


Reunification

Women’s Rights

Environment

Labour

Media

Judiciary



Education & Youth


Minority


Welfare State TF

- Sharing universal welfare discourse and grafting this in to the business of all committees.

Monitoring of Legislation TF Welfare State TF

Strategy for Development TF

Counsel of Emergency Measures

Study Group

Strategy for long-term Development TF

- The goal is finding a sustainable way of development, which expands the base, through diverse discussions about the way of MINBYUN’s long-term development.

- Collecting opinions of members in this process, and getting the chance to expand internal communication and power of the organization by forming a bond of sympathy which represents the necessity of strategy for development through discussions.

- Writing and sending in the ‘way of MINBYUN’s long-term development’ report with these results leading to a general meeting in 2012.

Monitoring of Legislation TF

Welfare State TF



Study Group


- Damage relief and support to recover the reputation of Emergency Measure’s victims through claims for a new trial, indemnity, compensation, etc.

- Petition for legislation to help for Emergency Measure's victims.

- Claim for a new trial against Emergency Measures through Constitutional Appeal.

Monitoring of Legislation TF

Welfare State TF



Study Group

Study Group

- Every other Tuesday evening

- Meeting with writers once every quarter

- Making a recommended reading list for diverse books about current issues and central topics for study

- Supporting Branches for establishment of small groups in the Branches

Welfare State TF



Study Group

Gyungnam Branch

- 11 members

- Ongoing trial about the construction of the Four Major Rivers (Haman Reservoir)

- Business with corporations for commemoration of Busan&Masan Democracy Movement:

civil procedure against the state, enactment of special law to investigate the reality about Busan&Masan Democracy Movement and to recover the reputation of all concerned

- Drowning accident of Vietnamese worker caused by excessive force of police

Gyungnam Branch

Gwangu-Jeonnam Branch

Daegu Branch

Daejeon-Chungcheong Branch

Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch

Jeonju-Jeonbuk Branch

Daegu Branch

- 22 members

- Joint lecture with intraregional professional organizations

- Legal aid: legal aid against the disciplinary and the

criminal trial of current state declaration of Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union, incidents of National Security Law violations, claims for survivor's benefits of foreign sailors, ongoing damage suit against the congestions of Seongseo Junction

- Main business: human rights seminar, and enforcement of

Daegu-Gyungbuk’s joint lecture with professional organizations

Gyungnam Branch


Daegu Branch


Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch



- 29 members

- Legal aid and supporting: canceled disapproval of extension for foreign

laborer’s employment period, criminal case of assembly held without previous notice, disciplinary of Korean Teachers & Education Workers' Union regarding the support for Democratic Labor Party, claim for canceling of disapproval against Bok-Sun’s convalescence who works at Geumsan factory of Korean Tire, compensation for defamation of Riviera Labor Union’s committee president Hongkyu Park, murder of NUGYEN VIET AN (Vietnamese)

- Free legal aid center of the branch

- Participation in legal aid team

Gyungnam Branch


Daegu Branch


Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch


Busan Branch

- 24 members

- Branch Manager Jaeseong Jeong, Secretary-general Yeongchul Byeon

- Action for solidarity through monthly meetings

Gyungnam Branch


Daegu Branch


Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch


Ulsan Branch

- 12 members

- Legal aid

- Pressure to withdraw from the Hyundai Motor Company’s Labor Union for Non-regular Workers, human rights violation, participating in fact-finding team of human rights, participated in a press interview of civic society organizations who demand to stop interference of Hyundai Heavy Industries in an election during a new by-election for the Head of Dong and Gu

Gyungnam Branch


Daegu Branch


Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch



- 8 members

- All human rights violations, damages in labour area, legal aid in law disputes about local autonomy

- Intermediating conflicts of Jeonju Bus Strikes

- Training Jeonbuk Law School students

- Main ongoing business: monitoring arrest warrants of Jeonju Bus

Strike Labourers, and affairs of Labour Union

Gyungnam Branch


Daegu Branch


Busan Branch

Ulsan Branch


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