hankyoreh

Park Han-hee

Alumni from the law school at Seoul National University (SNU) are rolling up their sleeves to help public interest human rights work by South Korea’s first transgender lawyer.

Gongmyeong, a public interest fund set up by more than 70 graduates of the sixth year of the SNU law school, announced on May 7 that it had chosen Park Han-hee, 32, as the public interest attorney that will receive funding. Park, a trans woman, is the country’s first transgender lawyer.

The tradition of providing financial assistance to an alumnus who has chosen the path of public interest law began with the first class of graduates at SNU law school. The selection process is handled by the executive committee (which operates the fund) and by the full-time public interest lawyer selection committee, which is composed of external experts. “We made our selection unanimously based on our assessment that Park will be able to perform the highest service in the area of protecting LGBT rights and tackling discrimination,” the members of the selection committee said.

Park passed the sixth bar exam in January and will begin working as a full-time attorney at a group called Hope and Law (Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights) on May 15. Her main job will be responding to discrimination against LGBT individuals and the ensuing legal conflicts and changing legal institutions that are discriminatory against LGBT people. “While public interest law is a good choice for lawyers, I was hesitant because of the practical and inevitable financial burden. I’m grateful that this public interest fund has enabled me to pursue my desired course by freeing me from that burden. I think that this support is even more meaningful because it was provided by the friends with whom I have studied and struggled for more than three years,” Park said.

According to the charter of the public interest fund, the minimum amount of funding is 70% of the average monthly income of an urban family of three. Gongmyeong is supporting Park by earmarking 1.7 to 1.8 million won (US$1,500-1,590) a month to be donated to Hope and Law, where Park is working. This financial support will be provided for two years, after which point the fund will decide whether to extend the support, in consultation with Park.

“Other alumni who are working as lawyers would like to do public interest work, but the fact is that that’s not an easy choice. When alumni who are interested in the public interest and human rights make donations and the public interest lawyers dedicate themselves to their work, it creates synergy,” said Lee Jun-yong, an attorney and chair of Gongmyeong’s executive committee, during an interview with the Hankyoreh. Gongmyeong has previously provided financial support to Kim Jae-wang, an attorney with Hope and Law who overcame an acquired visual disability to pass the bar exam, and Jeong Min-yeong, who has worked with the public interest law center for People‘s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy.

By Park Soo-jin, staff reporter

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