Partnership for Sustainability: NGO and Community Participation in Lawmaking in South Korea

Abstract

This paper analyzes citizen participation in lawmaking in South Korea, particularly during the period of early 1990s through present. In a broader context, this is part of an effort to analyze the democratization of the political process from the perspectives of community decisionmaking in terms of democratic legitimacy. This paper focuses on the participatory dimension of sustainability, from constitutional law perspectives in a larger context. Particularly, this paper analyzes the institutional and procedural aspect of participation of NGOs and citizens in some of the exemplary instances of lawmaking in South Korea recent experience. NGO activities in South Korea were initiated as part of democratization movement, and became conspicuously expanded in the nation democratization context in the 1990s. Particularly since early 1990s, many NGOs and civil community in general in South Korea

have been actively serving such role of participation and collaboration in policymaking and lawmaking, primarily by means of public interest litigation and proactive legislative initiatives. Such partnership for sustainability is due to diverse grounds, both domestic and international. Some of the areas where such voluntary NGO initiatives and lawmaking movement in South Korea have been particularly active include consumer protection, welfare, human rights protection for minorities including those with disabilities, gender equality, environmental protection and preservation, labor, and monitoring of the media, conglomerates, and legislative and judicial activities.