Civic Space and Human Rights Cities

Kim Dong-choon Keynotes the 14th WHRCF

Interviewed by the WHRCF Secretariat

The 14th World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) will take place in the human rights city of Gwangju for two days starting on October 10, under the theme of “Civic Space and Human Rights Cities.” During the forum, international organizations, local governments, domestic and global experts from various fields, as well as citizens will gather to explore the issues regarding civic spaces shrinking around the world, from the viewpoint of human rights. Also, multifaceted discussions on how to maintain and expand the civic spaces will be conducted.

This year’s keynote address at the opening ceremony will be presented by Dr. Kim Dong-choon, emeritus professor of the Department of Social Sciences at Sungkonghoe University. He has examined the issues of state violence and ideological conflicts experienced in Korea. As a sociologist, he has also actively engaged in addressing the issues regarding human rights and justice that citizens may struggle with as a result of such violence and conflicts. The WHRCF secretariat has recently had the opportunity to explore Dr. Kim’s views on the theme of this year’s forum through the following interview.

WHRCF: First of all, thank you for taking time to do this interview for the Gwangju News. Would you please briefly introduce yourself to the readers of the Gwangju News?

Dr. Kim: Since retiring from Sungkonghoe University, I have been serving as the representative of the organization Good World Institute. As a sociologist, I previously led investigations and fact-finding activities on cases of state violence and massacre during the Korean War for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea. 

WHRCF: The 14th World Human Rights Cities Forum has chosen the theme “Civic Space and Human Rights Cities.” In the current global context of the growing influence of extreme rightist groups, backsliding of democracy, and worsening polarization, could you elaborate on the significance of this year’s theme?

Dr. Kim: In the past, state and political powers put almost all spaces for living and activity under their control. As a result, spaces that could protect human dignity and intrinsic human rights were greatly diminished. However, nowadays, the global capitalist market and competition theories have driven the reduction of spaces that could secure basic human rights in the great majority of all living and working spaces. Given these changing circumstances, I think we need to figure out ways to ensure that human rights can be secured through expanding civic spaces.

WHRCF: From your own perspective as a professor who has studied the democratization process and human rights development in Korea, what role do you think community-level civil society organizations and grassroots movements can play in creating and sustaining a vibrant civic space?

Dr. Kim: The movements for democratization and human rights in the past were also seen as struggles to secure spaces free from the state’s exercise of power, violence, surveillance, and scrutiny. Now, it seems that efforts to create such spaces continue through local community and grassroots movements at the neighborhood level.

WHRCF: How do you think we could ensure that local governments are not marginalized and that vulnerable groups have equal access to civic spaces without being excluded from public engagement? 

Dr. Kim: First of all, citizens’ participation has to be guaranteed, especially in the context of practical local autonomy, substantial decentralization, and the local community’s decision-making process. Speaking in more detail, it seems necessary to implement an electoral system at the town and village level and to guarantee the voting rights of residents’ assemblies. 

WHRCF: Let’s think of a case where the governance and operation system of a state, the upper-level administrative unit, is quite conservative. In such a case, when political and legal restrictions are implemented on citizens’ engagement, what can local government do in order to expand and protect civic space? 

Dr. Kim: The top priority is to make sure that the local government does not become an arena for power dominance by local oligarchs. To that end, we have to ensure that the nomination and election of local council members and heads of local governments are not influenced by major interest groups of large political parties in the central government and Seoul.

WHRCF: There are growing concerns over the advancement and expansion of technologies such as AI and social media platforms such as YouTube. Can these advancements in science and technology be positively utilized to expand and protect civic space for citizens’ participation?

Dr. Kim: Technology is always just a tool and what matters is which group uses it for what purposes. Social media networks and AI could serve as media for equal communication or just as a means for manipulation. Eventually, democracy and citizen participation will be the key in designing these technologies to benefit humanity.

WHRCF: How can global forums such as the World Human Rights Cities Forum contribute to the development of civic space in diverse cities around the world?

Dr. Kim: I think this contribution is possible when we come together to engage in discussion on severe human rights infringements and the shrinking spaces for human rights in various cities.

WHRCF: Last question. I understand that you have just recently established the Good World Institute. Could you briefly introduce the purpose of the institute and the activities you are planning to undertake?

Dr. Kim: Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office, civic education initiatives have been completely halted. Therefore, I opened the institute in an effort to create a kind of social space aiming at reviving and spreading civic education at schools and local communities. Our main activities include civic education for teachers and youth, and building a community for civic learning.

WHRCF: Thank you so much for this interview. We really appreciate you taking the time for it, and we are looking forward to seeing you at WHRCF 2024.