ABSTRACT
In the 1990s, South Korea has witnessed the growing visibility of resistance movements and pluralized activisms by minorities (sosuja) addressing multiple forms of social injustice. Occurring alongside larger existing movements of laborers, women, and disabled people, minority movements employ human rights discourse as a tool for raising awareness of severe marginalization. The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, under the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, President Kim Dae Jung’s leadership, was created in 2001 in an increased effort to enhance human rights in general. In 2006, the Commission released the National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NAP). The NAP classifies “vulnerable social groups and minorities” according to eleven categories: 1 Disabled persons [Temporary workers with no benefits]; 2 Irregular workers; 3 Migrant workers-refugees; 4 Women; 5 Children, juveniles; 6 Aged persons; 7 Disease sufferers [People with certain diseases or who have a history of
stigmatizing disease]; 8 Soldiers and riot/auxiliary police; 9 Persons living in social welfare facilities; 10 Sexual minorities; 11 North Korean displaced persons.1
