I have reached the end of a precious year spent with the Validity Foundation. This piece is a brief record of the activities I participated in and the moments I witnessed during this short yet eventful year at Validity. It is also an attempt to reflect on what this experience meant to me as a Korean/Asian. At the same time, this writing serves as a heartfelt expression of gratitude to my colleagues at Validity, who have generously offered me both invaluable guidance and warm hospitality. 

I am an activist affiliated with the Korean Disability Forum (KDF), a small NGO primarily engaged in international cooperation and solidarity efforts to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities in South Korea. My first encounter with Validity came through various reports and documents, such as the CRPD Committee’s inquiry report on Hungary’s flawed deinstitutionalisation policies. These documents highlighted Validity’s diverse activities and strong advocacy efforts. I deeply resonated with Validity’s critique of Hungary’s so-called deinstitutionalisation policies, which led to the expansion of small-scale institutions (group homes) and the perpetuation of institutionalisation in a different form.  

South Korea, too, has experienced a similar trajectory. Among Asian countries, South Korea was one of the earliest to aggressively push institutionalisation policies targeting persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups from the mid-20th century. Then, roughly half a century later, it also became one of the earliest to introduce deinstitutionalisation policies —though in an incomplete and often flawed manner. As a result, South Korea now faces intense social debates over the realisation of the right to live independently in the community. The expansion of small-scale institutions and the state’s denial or distortion of deinstitutionalisation mirror the very issues that Validity has long been challenging in Europe, Africa and beyond.  

By a fortunate turn of events, I was given the opportunity to undertake an overseas fellowship. Without a moment’s hesitation, I decided to go to Hungary, where Validity is based. Thankfully, Validity welcomed me as an intern. My decision to join Validity was driven by several motivations. I wanted to gain firsthand insight into how the discourse and struggles surrounding deinstitutionalisation and independent living under Article 19 of the CRPD unfold within the European context. I was also eager to learn about the efforts being made to ensure access to justice for persons with disabilities. Most importantly, I sought to expand my perspective on international disability rights advocacy by working in an entirely different environment and engaging with organisations and activists outside South Korea. Looking back, it was undoubtedly the right choice. 

Thanks to the unwavering support of my colleagues, I had the opportunity to participate in several meaningful activities. First, I took part in Validity’s ENABLE project, which focuses on ensuring access to justice for defendants with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in the EU. As part of this effort, I translated the final report, Fair Trial Denied, into Korean, making it an accessible reference for Korean-speaking audiences. In my view, this report clearly testifies to the existence of fundamental rights and freedoms that are realised through the use of support measures—such as legal assistance, intermediaries, and other procedural accommodations. Building on this perspective, I am currently working on research that explores the right to be assisted in the context of access to justice.  

Additionally, I contributed to joint activities between disability rights organisations and legal groups in South Korea and Validity, all with the shared goal of ensuring the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. As preparation to the UN Committee Against Torture’s (CAT Committee) review of South Korea in June 2024, I brought together Validity and Korean civil society organisations and we submitted a joint shadow report. The CAT Committee issued its concluding observations which recognised institutions as places of deprivation of liberty and calling for remedies and compensation for survivors of institutionalisation in South Korea. The process of achieving this outcome was a significant learning experience for me. I witnessed the flow and ‘borderless’ impact of civil society activities. For example, when Validity argued for the necessity of aligning anti-torture mechanisms with the CRPD in its written contribution to the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, this also had an impact on the Concluding observations on South Korea issued by the CAT committee. (The related Validity news bulletin can be found here.)  

However, June of that year was also a shameful month for South Korea. The Seoul Metropolitan Council went as far as to abolish the deinstitutionalisation support ordinance that had only been in place for two years. This regressive process was as painful and shameful as the recent state of emergency and coup attempt that sought to turn Korea back 40 years. The CRPD Committee issued an urgent statement (21 June 2024) expressing its concern and Validity and other international organisations showed solidarity with persons of disabilities of my country. I believe that experiencing both the limitations and hopes of international solidarity has been an invaluable lesson for me. 

As a result of this, and of the learning I have done from the activities of exemplary networks such as Validity and the Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalization(GC-DI), I am now working closely with other Asian colleagues to strengthen the ‘Asian’ coalition on deinstitutionalization(AC-DI). Through this coalition — the rediscovery of Asia through the lens of deinstitutionalisation, and the rediscovery of the value of deinstitutionalisation through the lens of Asia — I hope to contribute to expanding the base of so-called “international” disability rights norms and create opportunities for enhancing regional and national stakeholders’ capacities. I wish for true communication and humble learning to continue and grow among the various individuals who refer to each other as ‘colleagues’ in this process. This is also the hope that my colleagues, whom I met in Validity, taught me, each with their own backgrounds and reasons for being there.  

There is a book that Validity gifted to me. It was the first book I read during my stay in Hungary. This book is about Gábor Gombos, a Hungarian disability activist and researcher, a person whose rich and multifaceted character cannot easily be summarised by just a few words (as is the case with every person). As I flipped through the book again, I realised I had marked so many pages, and choosing just one sentence from his inspiring work was no easy task. However, I reflect on this sentence, which he likely wrote while deeply contemplating himself, as I bid farewell to my colleagues with hopes of long conversations that will begin anew. I, too, try to reflect on myself as I say goodbye—no, rather, as I say “see you again.” 

“(…) and if these different value systems can engage in real dialogue with each other in a constructive way, and if we are willing to learn from each other, then there is nothing wrong with that at all, and we can live in a much more diverse and richer world because of it.” 

(Gabor Gombos, “We are entering the international arena” in The World without Cage Beds, p.177)