Kyung Seok Park is one of the 10 people Amnesty International is uniting behind for this Write for Rights 2024 – the worlds biggest human rights event.

Kyung Seok Park is fighting for a world where no one is left behind – now he needs your support.

For over 20 years, Mr Park has dedicated his life to advocating for disability rights in South Korea. After developing paraplegia in his twenties, he realised how inaccessible and life-threatening daily life was for people with disabilities. Since then, he has worked to ensure equal access to public transport and fought against systemic discrimination.

Mr Park’s activism has been met with violence and repression. In January 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government cut the budget for an employment program, dismissing 400 workers with disabilities. Authorities have also used excessive force against peaceful protesters, dragging them from trains and filing punitive lawsuits to silence them. During one demonstration, Mr Park was strangled by police and a Seoul Metro employee.

Despite these attacks, he refuses to back down. As he says, “We refuse to wait any longer. We demand a world where no one is left behind.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Mayor of Seoul and South Korean authorities to stop the use of unlawful force against Kyung Seok Park and other disability rights activists, drop all punitive lawsuits aimed at silencing peaceful protests, end the smear campaigns portraying activists as a public nuisance, and restore funding for disability employment programs and accessible public transport. Authorities must also guarantee the right to peaceful assembly for disability rights activists so they can continue their vital work without fear of violence or repression.

By taking action, we can help pressure the authorities to uphold disability rights and ensure that no one is left behind.

Send a message of solidarity to Mr Park. Let him know he is not alone in his fight for disability rights. Your words can give him strength and show that the world is watching.

Take action today – show Mr Park that his courage is not forgotten.