UN경제사회이사회 특별협의 지위
경실련 2019-2022 활동 4개년 지속가능발전보고서

<국문초록>

이 4년차 보고서(2019-2022)는 UN경제사회이사회(ECOSOC) 결의안(1996/31; 2008/4)에 따라 한국 시민사회 경제정의실천시민연합이 비정부기구 위원회에 제출한 지속가능발전보고서 입니다. 1부에서는, 새로운 비전(E/2020/NGO/1, No. 31)을 달성하기 위해 6개의 목표와 22개의 일관된 타깃을 설정했습니다. 우리의 사회경제적 및 민주적 시민운동에 매우 중요한 세 가지는 (1) 주거 개혁, (2) 재벌 개혁, (3) 선거공약검증 운동입니다. 경실련은 이에 따라 조직을 개편하였습니다. 2부에서는, 지속가능발전목표 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17와 관련된 경실련의 UN 기여·참여·협력사항, 그리고 경실련의 운동사업을 4개년 보고합니다. 그러나 두 번의 정권교체 이후에도, 별반 달라지는 것은 없습니다.

주제어: 비정부기구, 애드보커시 (신사회시민운동), 사회적경제, 민주주의, 한국

세부 내용은 아래 원문을 직접 확인하시길 바랍니다.
CCEJ. (2019–2022). Quadrennial Report for Non-Governmental Organizations in Special Consultative Status with the ECOSOC

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2019–2022 Quadrennial Report
for Non-Governmental Organizations
in Special Consultative Status with the ECOSOC

Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (Special, 1999)[1]

 

Abstract

This quadrennial report (2019–2022) is submitted by the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice from Korean civil society to the Committee on Non-Government Organizations under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolutions (1996/31; 2008/4). In Part I, we set six goals and twenty-two coherent targets to achieve our new vision (E/2020/NGO/1, No. 31). Of significant importance to our socioeconomic and democratic movements, are three pillars: (i) Housing Reform; (ii) Chaebol Reform; (iii) Manifesto Movement. Thus, we reorganized our workforce into these three departments. In Part II, we quadrennially report our contributions to, our participation in, our cooperation with UN, and our initiatives for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17. However, after the regime changes twice, nothing changes.

Keywords:  NGO; advocacy; SDGs; socioeconomics; democracy; movement; Korea

 

PART I

 

I. Introduction

Still, nothing changes in the Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea). From 1989 to 2022, rapid economic growth brought wealth to chaebols, a conglomerate to which averaged GNI had been distributed by growing up over 7.59% per year, compared with only 5.39% per year to the household. Of course, the economic growth rate (2019-2022) averaged a GDP 2.08% per year during the COVID-19 crisis. In this economic growth, however, equitable distribution, housing stabilization, and democratic development have been overlooked by the government. And the ex-President Moon’s regime (2017-2022) was not good at reforming chaebols, realty, finance, judiciary, politics. Thus, rashly political or judicial reformation, quick industrialization or monopolization, and irreparable gentrification or expropriation alienated large groups and areas, and created socioeconomic gaps, and entailed political disturbance, even risking a collapse of the financial system. The year of 2019 saw economic injustice, concentration on chaebols, and polarization deepeningly. Extraordinarily, the COVID-19 crisis from 2020 to 2022, drove up the house prices averaging 34% per year (the apartment prices median 52% per year) due to market speculations in Seoul and the consumer prices averaged CPI 2.69% per year of high inflation from high interest into debt traps, hardships and insolvencies. Since 2022 the current President Yoon’s regime changed, in an air of his political antagonism against, particularly, peaceful settlement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea), public spending, increasing corporate tax and property tax, supporting social welfare, grain management, medical reform, respecting labour unions and decent work, partnership with civil society organizations, etc., Korea has foreshadowed unstable security, socioeconomically and politically and internationally. Hence, of particular breakthroughs for SDGs, reports our quadrennial empiricism as follows.

 

II. Aims and Purposes of the Organization

Since 1989 founded in response to those socioeconomic injustices today, the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) has advocated a democratic welfare society as a community of (i) Freedom, (ii) Equality, (iii) Justice, (iv) Peace: these goals not only secure people the rights of free selection for government policy but promote fair & free competition, innovation and efficiency of a market economy and overcome shortcomings of a market economy, such as housing speculation, business-political collusion, and unequal distribution, through the hand of efficiently accountable and sustainable development (See this: http://ccej.or.kr/eng/who-we-are/inaugural-declaration/). In 2019, falling on the CCEJ 30th anniversary, thus we additionally set “a New Vision for the Future in Our Society (E/2020/NGO/1, No. 31)” to achieve the following six goals and twenty-two detailed targets (with over ninety methods):

A. Fair Economy
A-1. Establish a fair market with economic orders (six methods)
A-2. Promote innovation for inclusive growth (nine methods)
A-3. Earn economic esteem on decent work (four methods)
A-4. Re-establish the governmental role to realize a fair economy (four methods)

B. Social Justice
B-1. Eradicate windfall profits out of the housing speculation (three methods)
B-2. Establish justice and taxation (three methods)
B-3. Reform structural corruption (three methods).

C. Community Well-being
C-1. Secure social welfare based on the full-scale budget and fiscal soundness (three methods)
C-2. Reinforce housing welfare (three methods).

D. Social Inclusion
D-1. Do technological innovation for the human being (seven methods)
D-2. Close the socioeconomic achievement gap in education (four methods)
D-3. Realize the society without hate and discrimination (three methods)
D-4. Narrow the development gap between local areas (three methods).

E. Democratic Communitarianism
E-1. Reform politics and the judiciary (five methods)
E-2. Reform the government (two methods)
E-3. Strengthen local autonomy with decentralization (five methods)
E-4. Strengthen CSO partnership with citizen participation (Drafts)

F. Community Peacebuilding
F-1. Develop sustainable inter-Korean relations, denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and build peace regimes (six methods)
F-2. Building a new system of peaceful cooperation in Northeast Asia (six methods)
F-3. Toughen safeguards system (seven methods)
F-4. Cope with disasters, climate change and environmental destruction (two methods)
F-5. Protect food security and sustainable agriculture (three methods).

 

III. Significant Changes in the Organization

We have recently streamlined our organization. In 2019, we reorganized our structures into two parts of movement headquarters (MHQs) according to our fundamental agendas: (i) Chaebol Reform and (ii) Real Estate Construction Reform. Additionally, (iii) Electoral Reform MHQ is going to be reorganized in 2023.

 

PART II

 

I. Contribution of the Organization to the Work of the United Nations

SDG 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Target 9.1. Develop Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Infrastructures.  In 2021, we together with the Just Net Coalition, et al. jointly sent the open letter “More than 170 Civil Society Groups Worldwide Oppose Plans for a Big Tech Dominated Body for Global Digital Governance (9 March 2021; Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/67788),” as petitioning António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) for ruling BigTech out of the Internet Governance Forum in the UNSG’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation (UNSG, 2020). (See also: Target 17.H)

SDG 10. Reduced Inequalities

Target 10.3. Ensure Equal Opportunities and End Discrimination.  In 2019, we contributed the written statement “The Time to Kill a Chaebol: Let Us Move beyond Corporatocracy (26 April 2019; Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/53109)” to ECOSOC for the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the High-Level Segment (HLS) regarding the theme “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality” from 9 July – 18 July 2019. (See also: Target 17.F)

SDG 16. Peace and Justice and Strong Institutions

Target 16.4. Combat Organized Crime and Illicit Financial and Arms Flows.  In 2019, right after North Korea suspended the negotiations to build a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula on 15 March, we together with fifty-five organizations of Korean civil society jointly sent the open letter “The Peace Process on the Korean Peninsula Must Go On” to François Delattre (ex-Ambassador of France to UN), President of the Security Council (UNSC), holding a press conference (18 March 2019; Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/58099) to (1) resume the peaceful dialogue between DPRK and the United States of America (USA), (2) lift all the UNSC’s sanctions against humanitarian support to North Korea, and (3) observe the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as a peace-building process. In 2021, we remarked on USA and Russian Federation effectuated the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), commenting that “Welcome the New START bet. US & RU (4 February 2021; Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/67134)” and urging the nuclear weapon states to join in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as well. (See also: Target 17.H)

SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals

Target 17.E. Enhance Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development.  In 2020, we contributed the written statement “A New Vision for the Future in Our Society (E/2020/NGO/1, No. 31)” and the oral statement “Stop it!—the Methods of an Infodemic (27 April 2020; Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/61114)” to ECOSOC for HLPF and HLS regarding the theme “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development” from 7 July – 15 July.

 

II. Participation in Meetings of the United Nations

SDG 10. Reduced Inequalities

Target 10.3. Ensure Equal Opportunities and End Discrimination.  In 2019, we requested a hearing from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ECOSOC on 17 June 2019 (E/2019/79); Professor Park, Sangin, an NGO Representative of CCEJ (granted by the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University), participated in the ECOSOC’s general debate and parallel meetings between HLPF and HLS and contributed his oral statement “Chaebol Reform: Time to End Corporatocracy” to the Trusteeship Council, on 19 July 2019 (E/2019/SR.34(B); ECOSOC/7009; UN Web TV: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k19/k19e2ovng5?kalturaStartTime=8400). (See also: Target 17.F)

SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals

Target 17.G. Enhance the Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development.  In 2020, Hochul M. Jung, an activist of CCEJ, participated in the Virtual Civil Society Organization Session for the North-East Asia Multistakeholder Forum on 20 October (Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/64514), a part of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Forum on Sustainable Development from 3 November – 4 November, as discussing the 4th session of “Closing the digital gap and strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement governance for Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic” and presenting “Korea’s New Forward Challenging Tasks in the Age of Digital Interdependence” under his reviews and our recommendations (Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/64652). (See also: Target 9.1)

Target 17.J. Further Develop Measurements of Progress.  In 2021, Hochul M. Jung participated in the side event of the 4th Online Open Forum on SDGs hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network on 1 July (Retrieved from https://sdgforum.org/158), as discussing the 1st session of “Performance Status of the UN’s SDGs in the Domestic and Foreign Affairs and the Tasks to Recover Green Economy” and presenting “The Snare of Digital Transformation and Economic Monopolization after COVID-19—Look through the Statistics of Digital Economy” (URL: http://ccej.or.kr/70398; Video: https://youtu.be/Gpt2u5L6CmA). (See also: Target 8.1, 9.1, 17.F, 17.G)

 

III. Cooperation with United Nations Bodies

SDG 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Target 16.4. Combat Organized Crime and Illicit Financial and Arms Flows.  In. 2021, we as a member of the Right Livelihood Laureates contributed the “Joint Statement by World Future Council members and Right Livelihood Laureates on the Occasions of the Entry-into-Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the 75th anniversary of UN Resolution 1 (1)” to the Conference on Disarmament and its commemoration event on 25 January (Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/66835). (See also: Target 17.H)

Target 16.A. Protect Fundamental Freedoms.  In 2019, we contributed the statement “Why oughtn’t you to be on it? Let’s get on with it!” to the ILO Centenary Ratification Campaign on 14 May (Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/53386), urging Korean government to ratify the following four labour standards of the fundamental Conventions—(i) Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention (No. 87, 1948); (ii) Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98, 1949); (iii) Forced Labour Convention (No. 29, 1930); (iv) Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105, 1957)—at the International Labour Conference from 10 June – 21 June. (See also: Target 8.8, 17.G)

SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals

Target 17.G. Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.  In 2020, we together with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung jointly took part in the UNSG’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, facilitating the joint-panel discussion about the Age of Digital Interdependence (UN, 2019) on 21 January, undertaking our comprehensive literature reviews on (i) Digital Rights and (ii) Digital Economy, surveying the public on (iii) Digital Governance from 13 January – 12 February, and finally reported “Korea’s New Challenge Forwards Digital Coöperation beyond the Market Concentration of Economic Power and Digital Hourglass (Jung & et al., 2020)” with ten recommendations to UNSG on 2 March (Retrieved from http://ccej.or.kr/59735).

 

IV. Initiatives Taken by the Organization in Support of the Millennium Development Goals / Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2. Sustainable Agriculture

Target 2.1. Universal Access to Safe and Nutritious Food.  In 2019, we improved the Labeling Standards for Genetically-modified Foods. (See also: Target 2.5, 12.2)

Target 2.4. Sustainable Food Production and Resilient Agricultural Practices
(i) Public Direct Payment System.  In 2019, we reformed the Public Direct Payment System for farmers and their Public Good Agricultural Practices.
(ii) Land to Tillers Principle.  From 2020 to 2022, to strengthen the Land to the Tillers Principle (namely, agrarian or land reform), we serially disclosed the “phony farmers,” a farmland owner who was a high-ranking official, a member of the National Assembly or the local councils, thus amended this Principle stringently to prohibit such non-farmers from owning farmland without cultivation.

Target 2.8. Ensure Stable Food Commodity Markets and Timely Access to Information.  Since 2022, we have advocated to amend the Grain Management Act that Korean government should be reparable to purchase rice in order to fetch a stable price above farmers’ loss.

SDG 3. Good Health and Well-Being

Target 3.8. Achieve Universal Health Coverage
(i) Against Healthcare Privatization.  In 2019, to block privatization of the healthcare, we nationwide campaigned against Korea’s first for-profit hospital on Jeju Island.
(ii) Strengthen Benefit Service.  In 2021, to strengthen the benefit service of the National Health Insurance, we criticized the [President] Moon Jae-in Care as much as its non-benefit we analyzed.
(iii) Prevent Medical Disputes.  In 2022, to protect the second victim from medical errors, we accused the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency of collusively falsifying medical records from the hospitals.

Target 3.9. Reduce Illnesses and Death from Hazardous Chemicals and Pollution.  In 2019, to prevent pharmaceutical scandals, we counteracted that KOLON Life Science Inc. had concealed the hazard of its new drug, Invossa (i.e., the Tonogenchoncel-L medicine for TissueGene-C treatment), thus accusing the Minister of Health and Welfare of his dereliction and urging resignation of the Minister of Food and Drug Safety.

Target 3.C. Increase Health Financing and Support Health Workforce.  Since 2020, criticizing the collective egoism of doctors for their illegal walkout against expanding medicine colleges as little as the public healthcare, we have advocated to establish (i) the public medical school as much as (ii) the public hospital without non-benefit services.

SDG 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

Target 8.3. Promote Policies to Support Job Creation and Growing Enterprises
(i) Korean Economic Justice Institution (KEJI) Index: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Evaluations. Since 1991, we have annually evaluated listed companies and social enterprises on our KEJI Index; from which we upgraded to an ESG evaluation in 2022 (See also: Target 12.6, 17.J).
(ii) Advise against Unfairly Franchising.  Since 2022 launched, together with the Korean Franchise Association, we have co-operated the Drop-in Centre for Advice on Damage Remedy against Unfair Franchise Practices.

Target 8.5. Full Employment and Decent Work with Equal Pay to Improve Working Conditions
(i) Statutory Working Hours and Work Hours Reduction System.  Since 2001, we have annually advocated the more Statutory Working Hours are reduced, the more working conditions and wages should be secured, irrespective of a workforce; in 2018, we reviewed the amendment to statutory working hours from 68 hours per week down to 52 hours per week and the Special Coverings (i.e., the Exempt Employee) from the Labor Standards Act, from 26 occupations down to 5 occupations for lawmakers’ overlooking work intensity brought high, not only actual hours worked but lessened income—necessarily to supplement the excluded-extra, weekend, overtime pay for overtime, weekend, night duties, to create incentives to the Work Hours Reduction System, and to abolish every exemption, including special employees in the Occupational Safety and Health.
(ii) Minimum Wages.  Since 2015, we have annually advocated the Minimum Wages to be increased to over 10 thousand (K) won (₩) per hour (/h); as a result of 2019–2023, the minimum wages were decided from ₩8.35K/h (2019) up to ₩9.16K/h (2022), while these were increased by 10.89% (2019), compared with only 6.63% during the COVID-19 crisis (2020–2022); worse, the annual CPI highly inflated by 7.7% during the same crisis; now, such wages are decided up to ₩9.62K/h (2023). Since 2022, we have criticized the Minimum Wage Commission for trying to differential pay by region, age, and industry as forgetting about the wage gap and income distribution.

Target 8.8. Protect Labour Rights and Promote Safe Working Environments
(i) ILO Centenary Ratification Campaign.  In 2019, we jointly campaigned for those four labour standards of the fundamental Conventions above. Since 2019, to improve fundamental labour rights, namely the Labor’s Three Primary Rights: (i) the Right to Organize; (ii) the Right to Collective Bargaining Convention; (iii) the Right of Collective Action, we have jointly advocated to amend the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
(ii) Sub-construction Safety.  Since 2019, particularly for sub-constructors and tower-crane operators, to improve their working conditions, special employment and construction safety, we jointly criticized the government for neglecting their subcontracting wage structure by conditions, safety and accidents, and not only have criticized tower-crane incidents for poor construction safety and standard, but also have supported their online education about danger out of tower-crane safety rules or standard.
(iii) Labour Human Rights.  In 2020, we regionally ran the Drop-in Center for Pro Bono Consultation on Labour Rights and the Youth Supporters for Labour Human Rights.
(iv) Serious Accidents Punishment.  From 2020 to 2022, we had legislatively campaigned for the Serious Accidents Punishment Act severely to execute overlooked corporations for casualties lest labourers were sacrificed; now, we consider this Act to include public accidents (so-called “serious civil disasters,” See also: Target 11.7).
(v) Social Dialogue and Tripartism with Respect for Labour.  From 2019 to 2022, together with diverse labour unions, we have jointly acted to address current socioeconomic issues, campaigns and public policies—for instance, chaebol, constructional, bureaucratic finance reforms; industrial protests, restructurings, and general strikes: the public healthcare, construction safety, the shipping privatization, the shipbuilding restructuring, the publicity of finance, etc.—not only to discuss with the government, industrialists, labour unions, consumer victims, citizens but to mediate political and social conflicts among them. Since 2022, we have jointly denounced the Yoon government’s Anti-union Policy for politically spurning and slighting labour unions, and jointly counteract current labour situations during the COVID-19 crisis over labour force.

Target 8.A. Universal Access to Banking, Insurance and Financial Services.  Since 1993 legislating the Act on Real Name Financial Transactions and Confidentiality, we have strengthened these transparency transactions (i) Know Your Customer (KYC) and (ii) Anti-Money Laundering (AML), weakening borrowed-name bank accounts. From 2022 to 2023, we have criticized financial authorities for today’s fin-tech defects (officially Erroneous Transactions, so-called “phishing scams”) that were loopholes in each banking institution’s unlawfully processing of personal information systems against the Electronic Financial Transaction Act, protecting those of fin-tech victims from duplicate identifications and erroneous transactions under the financial mediation of collective disputes, and legislated to amend this Act in compliance with electronic e-KYC and AML, therefore currently fix such regulatory technologies at both de facto on the market.

SDG 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Target 9.1. Develop Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Infrastructures.  Since 2022, we have criticized the government for being willing to privatize two ports in Incheon and Busan, thus Jointly campaigned against both port privatizations, and debated these problems with the National Assembly and stakeholders.

Target 9.3. Increase Access to Financial Services and Markets
(i) Regulate Corporate Venture Capital (CVC).  From 2020 to 2021, we had criticized both for deregulating the Separation of Industrial and Financial Capital as freely as unlocking CVC and for disorganizing the holding company system, thus debated with lawmakers, bureaucracy, and stakeholders, and reviewed the amendment that might allow not only non-financial holding companies, venture holding companies, and private equity collective investment schemes indirectly to invest this capital in chaebols’ own ventures, but also such a venture directly to possess stocks and bonds from sister ventures lest those of ventures were subordinately tunnelled by chaebol family (See also: Chaebol Reform).
(ii) Develop Local Currencies.  In 2022, we nationwide campaigned against the government’s budget-cutting local currencies to be developed autonomically.

Target 9.5. Enhance Research and Upgrade Industrial Technologies.  In 2019, we educated citizens on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in the following seven sessions: (i) Economic Impacts, Technical Progress and Social Influence; (ii) Discussion: Platform Labour and Decent Working; (iii) 5G Mobile Potential; (iv) Development of Artificial Intelligence, Robots and Ethics; (v) Vocational Education and Training; (vi) Field Trips: the Self-driving Cars and Genetic Engineering; (vii) Discussion: Digital Governance.

SDG 10. Reduced Inequalities

Chaebol Reform.  Since 1989 founded in a new order to resolve economic polarization, the concentration of economic power on chaebols, their unfair privilege and their tunnelling, we have zeitgeistly advocated the following chaebol reforms (See: Target 9.3 (i), 10.1, 10.3, 16.5)

Target 10.1. Reduce Income Inequalities.  In 2019, we disclosed landownership of the five-major conglomerates’ (viz., Hyundai, LOTTE, Samsung, SK, LG), estimating profiteering out of their unbecoming investment in property.

Target 10.3. Ensure Equal Opportunities and End Discrimination
(i) Separation of Banking and Commerce.  From 2017 to 2022, we had castigated the government and the Assembly for deregulating the Separation of Banking and Commerce as specially as enacting the Internet-only Bank Act lest a few specific conglomerates, as a pretext for the information-and-communications-technology-based company only, could be allowed to overmanage such a bank whereby rationalizing its Major Shareholder Qualifications against the Banking Act, thus advocated to amend the Act that those of Internet-only banks should reinforce retail banking as much as medium-interest loans while they had to exclude business loans.
(ii) One Share, One Vote against Multiple-Voting Shares.  From 2018 to 2023, we have jointly criticized both for deregulating the One Share, One Vote as exceptionally as introducing the Multiple-Voting Shares (i.e., Dual-Class Shares) to Unlisted Venture Company lest chaebols, as a pretext for the founder only, were enabled to overissue, overmanage, hand over such a company facilely to their family, thus relatedly studied foreign cases and implications, not only debated with lawmakers, bureaucracy, and stakeholders, but also testified at their public hearing, and with countercampaign against up to ten votes per share (namely, Super-Voting Shares). (See also: Target 9.3, Target 16.7)

Target 10.4. Adopt Fiscal and Social Policies that Promote Equality
(i) Adjust Tax Fairness.  To mitigate harmful tax competition and inequalities through fair taxation, we always counteract preferential tax regimes, annually reviewing tax law changes for fair taxation between the poor and the rich as little as tax exemption or reduction for conglomerates; amid inflation during the COVID-19 crisis, in the interest of corporate tax, property tax, inheritance and gift taxes, hence we have criticized the government for cutting these taxes for the rich in particular.
(ii) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action.  From 2017 to 2022, we had internationally participated in the OECD/G20 BEPS Project, advocating to adopt digital tax for information-technology-based multinational enterprises (so-called “Big Techs”) only and to exclude a small open economy (See also: Target 16.C). Now, we are going to advocate the taxation on burgeoning data, robots, and land.

Target 10.5. Improved Regulation of Global Financial Markets and Institutions
(i) Protect Investors from Shorting.  From 2018 to 2022, we had counteracted an unlawfully naked-short selling, criticizing financial authorities and illegal foreign investors for unduly shorting as much as unlawfully borrowing were practically unregulated due to unfair rules, loopholes and discrepancies between paper and electronic trading systems, thus jointly petitioned the Financial Services Commission against unregulated not only such a selling but unduly shorting as much as unfair trading practices, while litigating against the Commission for informing the public of those of illegal shoring sellers (See also: Target 16.A), and discussed with financial authorities, interagencies, and exchange, therefore partially reformed punishment, such a trading system, monitoring system, public announcement; now, we monitor unfair trading on the capital market.
(ii) Streamline Brokerage Fees.  In 2020, we criticized financial authorities and securities companies for illegal brokerage fees (i.e., the companies had imputed their association membership fee, their exchange fee, or their sundry cost of interagencies to investors) on online trading systems (viz., Home Trading System, Mobile Trading System), auditedly reporting these, therefore all these were recompensed and streamlined the brokerage fee policy.

Target 10.6. Enhance Representation in Effective, Credible, Accountable and Legitimate Institutions.  Since 2022, we have advocated the Majority of Minority in the general meeting of stockholders. (See also: Chaebol Reform)

SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

Real Estate Construction Reform (Housing Reform).  Since 1989 founded in a new order to resolve economic polarization and remove housing bubbles formed from housing speculations and unduly construction costs and stabilize housing prices in the market, we have zeitgeistly advocated the following housing reforms:

Target 11.1. Safe and Affordable Housing
(i) Affordable Housing. We have analyzed these statistically. Since 2019, we have criticized the Korea Real Estate Board, a government affiliate, for pricing discrepancy between the official valuation of individual land prices and market values, thus amended the Public Notice of Values and Appraisal of Real Estate Act, and analyzed the fluctuation in Seoul’s apartment prices skewed through the official valuation; now, we advocate to abolish the Board’s weekly statistics. From 2020 to 2021, we had serially castigated President Moon’s government for his capricious and poor regulations upon housing speculation and advocated a half-priced apartment. From 2020 to 2022, we had criticized the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), a public developer, for expropriating land for high-pricing sales as much as housing bubbles, thus litigated against LH for its information disclosure of the direct costs of construction from the Build-Transfer-Lease project that primarily wasted taxpayers’ precious money, therefore disclosed their land-office business and their overpricing the subdivision of apartments distributed by those of the public developers, and analyzed the LH’s disposal of its housing site as little as its Public Rental Housing. (See also: Target 11.3)
(ii) Safe Housing.  Since 2021, we have monitored a systemic disadvantage of Jeonse, a lump-sum deposit on rental housing that was profiteering wide-spreadingly to be gap-invested in a circular-housing speculation by multi-house owners, for which has been too insolvent to be reimbursed their tenants from its asymmetrical fluctuation; in 2020, we thus legislated the mandatory surety insurance that must reimburse tenants for such a deposit on Jeonse; since 2022, we have protected those of victims from Jeonse scams. Also, since then, we have counteracted the apartment collapse incident due to poor construction by Hyundai Development Company, criticizing not only it but the Seoul Metropolitan Government for carrying out a light punishment thus to discipline it as a heavy punishment and to cancel its registration.

Target 11.3. Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization
(i) Affordable Publicly Purchased-Rental Housing for the Houseless.  We always advocate the public landownership. In 2019, we analyzed overpricing how much construction costs and development profits were transferred by the Public Housing, including the placing orders for public works in Gyeonggi-do Province; in 2021, we castigated the government for lack of the Publicly Purchased-Rental Housing, supplied with a long-term contract or to the youth in preference, supported by the National Housing Fund. (See also: Target 11.3 (i))
(ii) Protect Inhabitants from Gentrifications.  In 2019, we also researched how gentrification affected small merchants in their resettlement statistically, analyzing how much land prices increased the privatization of development profits, and protected inhabitants from gentrification; in 2021, we analyzed how much development profits were gained from the gentrification, reconstruction and redevelopment that affected evictees increased by developers’ overpricing land despite cheap expropriation.
(iii) Address Inter-Floor Noises.  Since 2022, we have addressed to resolve the poorly soundproofed apartments over inter-floor noises.

Target 11.6. Reduce the Environmental Impacts of Cities. We always monitor social-overhead-capital (SOC) projects; since 2019, we have criticized the government for the SOC projects exempted from the pre-feasibility studies and for expanding such a project, and observed SOC implementation, the way of SOC development and the status of financial support. In 2021, we prevented constructors’ overdue wages from the government agencies as well as SOC developers (See also: Target 8.5).

Target 11.7. Provided Access to Safe and Inclusive Green and Public Spaces.  From 2019 to 2020, we had campaigned against rough-and-ready restructuring the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. In 2020, we castigated the government for trying to destroy greenbelts for housing supply.

SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production

Target 12.2. Sustainable Management and Use of Natural Resources
(i) Lemon Law.  From 2019 to 2021, we had legislated the Lemon Law, counteracting that the government and the Assembly were willing to enact the alternatives to free repairs instead of vehicle recalls.
(ii) Use Aftermarket Parts.  We have advocated that automakers allow customers to fix their vehicles with various types of auto parts, original-equipment-manufactured and aftermarket and recycled and remanufactured.

SDG 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Target 16.1. Reduce Violence Everywhere.  In 2021, we hosted an academic conference on the 21st anniversary to promote inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

Target 16.3. Promote the Rule of Law and Ensure Equal Access to Justice
(i) Discretionary Prosecution Reform.  From 2019 to 2020, to prevent prosecutors from cliquishly abusing the Principle of Discretionary Prosecutions Indictments, we had jointly campaigned the prosecution reform, reformed an independent investigation separated from prosecution, amending the Police Act.
(ii) Provide the Court’s Decision for All.  From 2019 to 2021, we had counteracted that the Small Claims Trials may not issue the civil court’s decision on performance recommendation, criticizing the court for likely ruling against the plaintiff.
(iii) Introduce Class Actions.  From 2019 to 2022, to protect consumers from repeating the same case, we had legislated to introduce the Civil Class Action for Punitive Damages.

Target 16.5. Substantially Reduce Corruption and Bribery
(i) Prevent Political-Business Collusions.  Since 2019, we have jointly condemned the government for condoning Jay Y. Lee’s unlawful succession to the executive chairman of Samsung Electronics through an unjust merger and conglomeration against the Supreme Court’s decision, who was an aggravatedly economic offender, as well as for not only paroling but presidentially pardoning him for Samsung Biologics accounting scandal, misappropriation, ex-presidential bribery, etc., thus had monitored him as such an offender who was an outlaw of management during his probation and parole, while accusing him and executives of unfair assistance from subsidiaries to Samsung Welstory, and discussed the presidential pardons for those of chaebols, hence recently argued that liable stakeholders must indemnify Korean government against Elliott concerning the same decision as the International Centre for Settlement for Investment Disputes.’ (See also: Chaebol Reform)
(ii) Ban Compliments of Cash Prizes.  From 2019 to 2020, we criticized the local government and the public institution for giving compliments of cash prizes between them.
(iii) Prevent Development Scandals.  In 2021, we counteracted the Dagjang-dong scandal, estimating how much the ex-mayor of Seongnam and stakeholders had privatizedly profiteered from the Daejang-dong development and urging the special prosecution for their corruption (See also: Target 11.3).

Target 16.6. Develop Effective, Accountable and Transparent Institutions
(i) Disclose High-Ranking Officials’ Assets and Prevent the Conflict of Interest.  In 2019, we advocated the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. In addition, we monitored the Assembly’s Confirmation Hearings for the minister and the constitutional judge, verifying these personnel’s ethicality, property and policy as fidelity. Since then, to prevent conflict of interest, we have improved the Public Disclosure of Change in High-Raking Public Officials’ Personal Assets, verifying their own assets—buildings, unblind trusts (i.e., unlawfully possessed stocks), and virtual assets—these market values undeclared or deceived to the public; in 2020, we legislated the Act on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest Related to Duties of Public Servants; in 2022, we reformed this system; now, we counteract the Namkuk Kim’s virtual assets scandal, who is a member of the Assembly.
(ii) Eradicate the Revolving Door and Prevent Conflicts of Interests.  Since 2022, we have serially reported the revolving door (so-called “Gwanpia,” “Mofia,” et al.) who unlawfully unretired from bureaucracy into private enterprise and might lead or actually led to conflicts of interest, economically and socially and politically.

Target 16.7. Ensure Responsive Inclusive and Representative Decision-making
(i) Monitor State Inspection. We have annually evaluated the government’s fulfillment of the presidential pledges, surveying experts’ questionnaire evaluation of the government operations under expert reviews. Also, we have annually monitored the Assembly’s Inspection of State Administration.
(ii) Electoral Reform. Since 2019, we have advocated a mixed electoral system (e.g., two-thirds seats of first-past-the-post voting plus one-third sets of party-list proportional representation), including the nomination of candidates from parties that should strengthen their responsibility for candidate selection.
(iii) Manifesto Movement.  Since 1991, we have campaigned for fair elections. In 2020, we counter-campaigned against corrupt or improper candidates (such as an offender, or such a culprit) to lose their election to the 21st members of the Assembly, a manifesto movement that tracked their legislations and evaluated their campaign pledges and announced those of candidates to voters; in 2021, we campaigned the manifesto movement for the 7 April by-election to mayors of Busan and Seoul, signing the policy pact of our reformation with candidates, running our voting-advice application (such as Wahl-O-Mat), and announcing their pledges, discernibly good and bad; in 2022, we campaigned the manifesto movement for both the 20th presidential election and the 8th local election nationwide, eadem modo.

Target 16.A. Ensure Public Access to Access to Information and Protect Fundamental Freedoms.  From 2019 to 2020, to protect privacy from opening data and data economy (namely, the Data Dam of the Korean New Deal), we had jointly criticized the government and the Assembly for amending the so-called Three-major Privacy Laws (viz., the Personal Information Protection Act, the Act on the Promotion of the Use of the Information and Communications Network Utilization, and the Credit Information Use and Protection Act).

Target 16.C. Promote and Enforce Non-discriminatory Laws and Policies.  Since 2019, to protect Net Neutrality from burgeoning the Big Tech’s traffic monopolies, data monetization as much as unfair competition, we had filed a report to the Korea Fair Trade Commission against the three-major Internet Service Providers (ISPs: SK Broadband, KT, and LG Uplus) for their unfair transaction of unpaid transit (unlawfully, “No-settlement Interconnection” or “Settlement-free Peering”) with Contents Providers (CPs: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, etc.) as much as their discriminatory mischarges for the Universal Service (i.e., Public Peering) to the other, general users and local CPs, hence not only legislated their Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory agreement but advocated such a proportionally paid service for their networking usage. (See also: Target 10.3)

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[1] This report was submitted by the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice to the Committee on NGO Organizations under ECOSOC Resolutions. If you need more information about us, please
■ Visit us: http://ccej.or.kr/eng/who-we-are/about-us/;
■ Refer to our achievements (RLA, 2003): http://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/laureates/citizens-coalition-for-economic-justice-ccej/

Download: CCEJ. (2019–2022). Quadrennial Report for Non-Governmental Organizations in Special Consultative Status with the ECOSOC

Contact: International & Economic Team / +82-2_766-5623