Minbyun (; full name ) is a progressive South Korean

social organization In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, struc ...

of lawyers. The organization aims to resolve

social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources within a society are distributed unevenly, often as a result of inequitable allocation practices that create distinct unequal patterns based on socially defined categories of people. Differences in acce ...

in South Korean society through judicial and legislative means. Minbyun is headquartered in

Seocho District Seocho District () is one of the 25 districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is a part of the Gangnam region, along with the Gangnam district of Seoul. Seocho District ranks as one of the richest neighborhoods in South K ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

; it has 8 regional branches throughout South Korea and 16 committees which specialize in various fields of human rights. The name ''Minbyun'' is the abbreviation of ''Minju Sahoereul Wihan Byeonhosa Moim'' (), which has been translated as "Lawyers for a Democratic Society" in English. Minbyun was founded on May 25, 1988, one year after the collapse of

Chun Doo-Hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean politician, army general and military dictator who served as the fifth president of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his accession to the presidency, he was the cou ...

's military regime. Member lawyers have engaged in activities for preserving

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and democracy. Many famous human rights attorneys have been members, and some of them have grown into popular politicians including

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (, ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

, the 16th

president of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...

Park Won-soon Park Won-soon (; February 11, 1955 or March 26, 1956July 9, 2020) was a South Korean politician, activist, and lawyer. He was the longest-serving mayor of Seoul, from 2011 until his death in July 2020. A member of the Democratic Party of Kore ...

, 35th·36th·37th

Mayor of Seoul The mayor of Seoul () is the chief executive of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul being the capital and largest city of South Korea. The position is historically one of the most powerful in the country, charged with managing an annual budg ...

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (, ; born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the Chief ...

, 19th President of South Korea and

Lee Jae-myung Lee Jae-myung (; born ) is a South Korean politician and lawyer who has served as the 14th president of South Korea since 2025. Lee previously held office as the governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2021, as the leader of the Democrati ...

, 21st President of South Korea

References

External links

Official website
*(English
Official English-language blog
{{Authority control Legal organizations based in South Korea Liberal organizations Liberalism in South Korea 1988 establishments in South Korea South Korean democracy movements Organizations established in 1988