Publications

Salzburg Global Fellow Yoonjin Kim uses the law to help disenfranchised communities in South Korea and beyond

Photo Credit: Katrin Kerschbaumer

Yoonjin Kim is a public interest lawyer working at Dongcheon Foundation in South Korea, which works to protect the rights of vulnerable groups such as homeless people, disabled people, North Korean defectors, and migrants.

Paul Matangcas, Salzburg Global Communications Intern: As a lawyer based in South Korea, your work mostly focuses on vulnerable groups. What was your inspiration or motivation for this focus?

Yoonjin Kim, Attorney at Law, Dongcheon Foundation: When I was in elementary school, I read this book [called] 전태일평전, which translates to “A Single Spark”. [It] is [about] a Korean activist and rights leader who protested about labor conditions. He burnt himself in protest of meaningless labor law; the book is about his life. When I read that book, I promised myself that I could be a lawyer for people like him. There is the saying, “If you don't live as you think, then you will think as you live”. That was the motivation for me to work with vulnerable groups and nowadays I feel that I exist where I must be.

PM: How does your work at Dongcheon Foundation help address the many problems faced by society today, specifically in South Korea?

YK: In South Korea, there are various problems, including discrimination against [people with] disabilities, inequality between [poor] and wealthy people, gender inequality, and so on. My work at Dongcheon Foundation is about advocating for people by helping them in a specific case legally or by participating in system reform with research, [writing] opinions to the government, or [being interviewed] on TV programs. I am happy that my foundation [and I are] giving help to people who felt isolated before.

PM: How can we ensure that the law works for marginalized groups and not against them? 

YK: I think that lawmakers should listen to marginalized voices because it [seems to them] that the law is reasonable and without flaws. But [when you look closely], it’s not the case for some people. I think that lawmakers and the legal profession should [be] open to other voices. They have to be open to the real-life experiences of marginalized people. There are several types of this case: Number one, the law itself is insufficient and has flaws. Number two, the law is made well, but not interpreted well. Third, the law is made well and interpreted well, but not implemented well. So, those are very different roles of lawmakers and each [member of the] legal profession is responsible for making the law better. 

PM: The theme for the first cohort of the KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative is “Uncertain Futures and Connections Reimagined: Connecting Generations”. As a lawyer, how do you use the law to bridge the intergenerational gap?

YK: Actually, the intergenerational gap is more cultural, rather than legal or systematic. But there can be some connection between the intergenerational gap and the law, which is the constitution. [The] constitution can be the common ground for a starting point of shared values. It is about the values that society maintains, so generational dialogue can [start from] there.

PM: What insights did you learn from this program that you will apply to your work back home? 

YK: From the world café session, I learned that intergenerational issues [do not have to be big]. Before that session, I thought that [every issue] should be a very big thing but intergenerational connection does not have to be like that. The second lesson is that vulnerability and courage are important. I learned that from the knowledge exchange [sessions]. That was very impressive for me because when I think of “leadership”, I [think] that courage is the only important thing, but showing vulnerability and honesty is very important also.

Yoonjin Kim is part of the inaugural cohort of Fellows in the KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative. This year’s cohort focused on the theme of "Uncertain Futures and Connections Reimagined: Connecting Generations". We talked to her during the first in-person gathering of KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative Fellows from October 9-13, 2023, at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.

The KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative is a multi-year program that annually brings together an international, intergenerational, and interdisciplinary network of Korean and global thought leaders to create new connections and tackle global challenges.